Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then i guess you can't publish apps? One of those issues where i should be "writing to my congressman" or whatever I guess. the problem is real and people like you are being obtuse, unwilling to find a solution or a compromise. Something as simple as number of installs is an invasion of privacy? how? it's a number, you increment a counter when someone hits download, that's it. Yeah, if google gets to have rules over…
How about the harms of fascist authoritarian governments that will use this functionality to ban any apps they don't like? Why do you people only care about malware and not essential fundamental freedoms that affect us every fucking day?
Your freedoms are not the subject of this topic, not even remotely. Google isn't even banning you from doing anything on android phone, this is strictly about approving android builds by phone vendors, you're not even the subject here. Google doesn't want to approve android builds that allow sideloading. You can still install lineage.
Your argument here is actually "fascist authoritarian", you want to impose your views on the general public, that sideloading should be enabled. Having an option for yourself and other willing people to just not just vendor built android is not enough, you want the public to also leave the gates open so you can sideload your random apk's.
Oh, and for the record, my post was about finding a compromise, not a false dichotomy as you presented. If you made a car without a seatbelt it won't be allowed on the roads, if a phone vendor also builds an unsafe android where random devs an sideload apks, that shouldn't be allowed. Forget Google, governments should be enforcing the sideload ban lol.
You don't appreciate your freedoms and insist on abusing them, so actual freedoms end up being taken away!