After the news cycle recently exploded with the announcement that Google would require every single Android app to be from a registered and verified developer, while killing third-party app stores …
I feel like googles hands may be getting forced on this. There is a growing authoritarian movement across the globe and android sideloading was one of the ways to avoid surveillance as that info was mostly private and offline. I wonder if they are being forced by shithole regimes (like USA now) to go in on the government verifying all apps or get blocked in that country for bypassing “national security.” (Wouldn’t surprise me if the UK and USA were two of those countries)
Remember LaLiGa said last year that Google should have the ability to remotely remove piracy apps from someone’s device without their permission?
I admire the generosity you’re giving Google here, but even if fascism wasn’t on the rise globally, I could see them doing this just for the all-important purpose of making more money. Rent-seeking by way of requiring an account (and soon after, a credit card) to access a feature that was once open and free.
Google has been killing free services for over a decade now, I have to imagine they’ve long decided to monetize and advertise on every possible channel and wavelength.
I feel like googles hands may be getting forced on this. There is a growing authoritarian movement across the globe and android sideloading was one of the ways to avoid surveillance as that info was mostly private and offline. I wonder if they are being forced by shithole regimes (like USA now) to go in on the government verifying all apps or get blocked in that country for bypassing “national security.” (Wouldn’t surprise me if the UK and USA were two of those countries)
Remember LaLiGa said last year that Google should have the ability to remotely remove piracy apps from someone’s device without their permission?
I admire the generosity you’re giving Google here, but even if fascism wasn’t on the rise globally, I could see them doing this just for the all-important purpose of making more money. Rent-seeking by way of requiring an account (and soon after, a credit card) to access a feature that was once open and free.
Google has been killing free services for over a decade now, I have to imagine they’ve long decided to monetize and advertise on every possible channel and wavelength.
Then why pre-comply? Fight for the user and be seen publicly being forced to suck. Instead it’s obvious that they actively choose to suck.
What google wants the money so of course they’re going to bend over to whatever backroom demands they have possibly been given