Post #1378383

2026-03-05 15:51 UTC

@kleisli If something is open you can't make it "more open". Adding more bureaucracy, more "register now or else" does not make anything more open, but adds friction, gate-keeping and centralizes power more at the whims of Google. 🤷 Please do take time and write to your local representative, the site has all the info and the links that you need.

Replies (1)

@cloud@polymaths.social 2026-03-05 19:11

@fdroidorg @kleisli The thing with Google right now is that they want to bring all of the other app stores, like our beloved f-droid under the Google Play umbrella and by restricting sideloading they just force you to use Google Play for you to be able to install third party app stores easier. It's just them pretending to play with the team but they actually just signal: "Hey, if you don't agree with us and you don't want to be on our side, then screw you, you cannot really do much against it." Also this opens up the discution of Google wanting to monitor what is installed from third-party app stores in the name of security, effectively letting them know everything that you installed and what your app preferences are OUTSIDE of Google Play. It effectively being fingerprinting of the device, as it is right now they aren't really allowed to collect data about what apps you use from external sources as they would need to clarify with the source that first, it is you who downloaded and it's not something like a distributed package and second if the source agrees on that which most of the times doesn't. Also in the EU I think (emphasis on think, I have read the various privacy legislations of the EU but everything is interpretable) the apps themselves and Google would first have to notify you of this and ask for your consent and second, they will get nuked by the DMA if this gets implemented and if, IF the Commission does something about this, now it seems they won't. So they just want to bring everything under Google Play to have the legal framework to collect more data. Let me know if I said anything wrong, I am no legal expert, but this is how I see the situation so far.

Open ##1378384