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Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

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Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#191

Post by kalx »

LadyCailin wrote: post #98
kalx wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem is that all banks require a national centrale controlled service for login (BankID in Norway). And it is this service that I cannot get to work running GrapheneOS. It worked a couple of months ago, but not anymore. And all customer services and complaints are directed to your bank who 1) has no idea what i am talking about and 2) no control over BankID verification requirements.

I’ve nearly decided to switch back to the code brick instead of BankID app. It’s less convenient, but with the way things are going, I’m just not sure I want to exist in the digital world much longer.

Good idea. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to just attach the code brick to my keyring anyways.

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#192

Post by geokon »

> looming requirement that all Android developers register themselves centrally

Does this somehow also apply to developers in China? Are Chinese OSs (Vivo/Honor/Oppo/etc.) entirely forked off of Google's Android?

Is the solution to just a Chinese phone without the Play Store?

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#193

Post by prmoustache »

RIshabh235 wrote: post #164

we need to create a new os

We already have the OS, what we need is a company that is willing to take a bet on it, support it and convince hardware vendors to provide upstreamed drivers for their stuff.

PostmarketOS may not be perfect as of now, but it would advance and progress so much if people were hired to work on it and if people could buy a smartphone with it preinstalled. Bug reports and corrections would come much quicker as well as supported apps. Right now it is just a confidencial toy OS because of the lack of hardware support really, only a small number of smartphones are supported, only 2 of them are still sold and available as new (pinephone and pinephone pro), their specs are nowhere close to what you would expect for the price and they are only sold through a rather confidential online store.

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#194

Post by pimeys »

devsda wrote: post #185
transcriptase wrote: post #25

I think the most fun part with Google is that if some wayward algorithm decides it doesn’t like you, along with nuking your app and developer account it will probably nuke your 20 year old gmail, your kids Google Drive accounts, your wife’s YouTube premium, the Adsense account of some company you worked for in 2008, and disable your Nest cameras. And you’ll never reach a human to sort it out.

What happens if you "accidentally" become persona non grata with both Google and Apple? If you want to participate in the society, you will forever have to resort to shady tactics. Shady can be defined something as arbitrary as using GrapheneOS. A temporary workaround like using alternatives like GrapheneOS for those affected will only delay the inevitable but it doesn't stop it at all.

It's a great question to send to the DMA authorities: https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/contact-dma-team_en

More of us ask this question, the better we are heard. Except if this is exactly what they want, then we need to vote better.

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#195

Post by Imustaskforhelp »

devsda wrote: post #185
transcriptase wrote: post #25

I think the most fun part with Google is that if some wayward algorithm decides it doesn’t like you, along with nuking your app and developer account it will probably nuke your 20 year old gmail, your kids Google Drive accounts, your wife’s YouTube premium, the Adsense account of some company you worked for in 2008, and disable your Nest cameras. And you’ll never reach a human to sort it out.

What happens if you "accidentally" become persona non grata with both Google and Apple? If you want to participate in the society, you will forever have to resort to shady tactics. Shady can be defined something as arbitrary as using GrapheneOS. A temporary workaround like using alternatives like GrapheneOS for those affected will only delay the inevitable but it doesn't stop it at all.

Over the long term, we definitely need something like Linux phones. I find it bizzarre by how little companies support this mission of Linux phones.

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#196

Post by orian »

transcriptase wrote: post #25

I think the most fun part with Google is that if some wayward algorithm decides it doesn’t like you, along with nuking your app and developer account it will probably nuke your 20 year old gmail, your kids Google Drive accounts, your wife’s YouTube premium, the Adsense account of some company you worked for in 2008, and disable your Nest cameras. And you’ll never reach a human to sort it out.

All service providers above some scale should be obliged to create a transparent processes or be taken for external jusges.

Even better: all providers of services with more than 100K users or 10% of country internet users should be forced to provide API to export / import data in open format.

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#197

Post by zeumo »

cryptonym wrote: post #174
StingyJelly wrote: post #118

We finally live in an age when I can tell a clanker that I want an app that does something that I need, connect the phone with adb and in half an hour have a working solution for my tiny problem while knowing little about android development. This is something google should embrace, not kneecap.

What's their interest in you building side-loaded apps instead of using their data hungry services?

They do also sell the data-hungry side-loaded app builder.

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#198

Post by breppp »

zx8080 wrote: post #105
pjmlp wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah so the Do No Evil wasn't serious after all?! /s

It was indeed! And Google removed it in 2018. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil

and it is still there

https://abc.xyz/investor/board-and-governance/google-code-of...

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#199

Post by xboxnolifes »

skybrian wrote: post #77
cuvert wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the companies would keep their own word and never overreach maybe nobody would overreact. How many times did we hear in the past "It's just for..."

If companies play nice, people will stop making stuff up about them? I don’t believe that for a second, and it’s a poor excuse for making stuff up.

People's only complaint with Valve seems to be lootboxes and their inability to make a 3rd game in a series, and thats true. So... maybe?

Re: Android Developer Verification: Threat masquerading as protection

#200

Post by dachris »

devsda wrote: post #185
transcriptase wrote: post #25

I think the most fun part with Google is that if some wayward algorithm decides it doesn’t like you, along with nuking your app and developer account it will probably nuke your 20 year old gmail, your kids Google Drive accounts, your wife’s YouTube premium, the Adsense account of some company you worked for in 2008, and disable your Nest cameras. And you’ll never reach a human to sort it out.

What happens if you "accidentally" become persona non grata with both Google and Apple? If you want to participate in the society, you will forever have to resort to shady tactics. Shady can be defined something as arbitrary as using GrapheneOS. A temporary workaround like using alternatives like GrapheneOS for those affected will only delay the inevitable but it doesn't stop it at all.

If you've accidentally become a persona non grata, then obviously because you've not exercised sufficient self-censorship.

This is real already. Recently saw a petition for EU to rein in big tech (there are several initiatives advocating this). Had this nagging voice at the back of my head ... what if signing that gets your Google Account terminated.

I'll leave it open to you whether I signed it.

For developers relying on any type of Google services, you'd be in for lots of pain.

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