I actually have the backup service enabled, but I would not expect it to "back up" my GPS location,
and the data collection I found is pretty clearly not done as part of that backup.

Here is the actual code from the bootdeb script.

I particularly like how init is "started" before the kernel is "booted". The "automounter" is also a nice touch. It's also impressive how the kernel boots in exactly 1 second every time.

echo "Custom Linux Pseudo Bootstrapper V1.0 - by Mark Walker"
echo "WEB: http://www.androidfanatic.com/"
echo "EML: admin@androidfanatic.com"
echo " "
sleep 1
echo "Starting init process"
sleep 1
echo "INIT: Debian booting....."
sleep 1
echo "Running Linux Kernel"
sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
sleep 1
echo "AutoMounter started"
sleep 1
echo "Type EXIT to end session"
echo "Make sure you do a proper EXIT for a clean kill of Debian!"
echo " "

chroot $mnt /bin/bash

On the other hand, my prediction re debootstrap was wrong. Rather than just use the shell script as designed, the creator of this thing ships an entire pre-built debian system that's chrooted into. Amusingly, this includes a root/.bash_history showing every command he ran while setting it up. (It also includes 104 mb of cached debs in /var, etc.)

Anyway, very amusing.

All the video shows is debootstrap being run in a terminal on, presumably, a G1 phone.

Since debootstrap is a shell script that builds a debian chroot and is designed to be run on any linux system, that is not a significant accomplishment, is it?

That's the "installer" portion. The "bootloader" portion would appear to consist of something like:

#!/bin/sh
chroot /debian

Anyway, it's nice to see interest in running Debian on these devices, I guess..