@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab We should not need permission to run software on devices we own.

Framing this change as protection does not reflect the reality of the #Android ecosystem. #Google Play has long allowed unsafe apps, invasive tracker SDKs, and supply chain threats that slip through automated review. Independent audits have consistently revealed these issues inside of Google Play, even *after* Google claims to have scrubbed.

@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab In many cases, the safer and more privacy-conscious option is to use @fdroidorg to install apps. F-Droid is just one organization that is much more serious than #Google about checking the safety of their catalog of apps. Sometimes, the safest option is installing APKs directly from trusted developers.

@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab For example, the X-mode SDK persisted long after it was banned in the USA by the FTC enforcement action, and was still present in many #Google Play apps until Google was called out by my own investigation. Initially, Google responded by saying I was wrong but then acknowledged their error in press. Long after that, other tracker SDKs associated with X-mode and the wider ad-tech #surveillance economy have persisted.

@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab We should not need permission to run software on devices we own.

Framing this change as protection does not reflect the reality of the #Android ecosystem. #Google Play has long allowed unsafe apps, invasive tracker SDKs, and supply chain threats that slip through automated review. Independent audits have consistently revealed these issues inside of Google Play, even *after* Google claims to have scrubbed.

@fdroidorg I am the founder of @yaleprivacylab , where we have investigated #privacy and #security issues in #Android apps since 2017. I can say without hesitation that this change makes Android users less safe.

Android is based upon free and #opensource software ( #FOSS) and that has always been defined by user choice. Blocking the capability to install apps directly from trusted sources outside #Google Play is not a small tweak. It removes a core freedom...

RE: https://privacysafe.social/@LearnToLivePrivate/115633091739693350

I signed this petition about #Google restricting the installation of APKs and software sources like @fdroidorg .

https://c.org/vfCG2X2kV7

I will paste my comments on the petition into the thread below 👇

Schweiz: Datenschützer verhängen breites Cloud-Verbot für Behörden

Eidgenössische Ämter dürfen US-Hyperscaler wie AWS, Google oder Microsoft laut der Datenschutzkonferenz nur noch eingeschränkt nutzen.

https://www.heise.de/news/Schweiz-Datenschuetzer-verhaengen-breites-Cloud-Verbot-fuer-Behoerden-11093438.html?wt_mc=sm.red.ho.mastodon.mastodon.md_beitraege.md_beitraege&utm_source=mastodon

#AmazonWebServices #CloudComputing #Datenschutz #Google #IT #Microsoft #Netzpolitik #Verschlüsselung #news

All this AI fuzz is making me sick, especially if I compare it to actually game-changing new technology like, for example, JPEG XL.

The former is hyped so much but it’s a very dull and bloated concept, while the latter is a concrete, non-proprietary, and free standard.

Of course, AI is fuelled by billions and billions of vacuous investments, while JPEG XL not only flies under the radar, but its adoption was actively blocked by Google because it went against their corporate interest.

To be clear: technical innovation is not the solution, but it saddens me to see that what is truly valuable is overlooked because some vacuous torment nexus takes up all the energy, the time, and the funding.

#JPEG #JPEGXL #jxl #jpg #AI #technology #capitalism #Google #WebP