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[return to "Google restricts Android sideloading"]
1. JimDab+ud[view] [source] 2025-06-05 17:55:57
>>fsflov+(OP)
As I’ve mentioned here before, sideloading is a genuine security concern, not merely an excuse for Apple to exert control. There is a never-ending stream of people losing their life savings. It happens on Android and not iOS because Android allows sideloading and iOS doesn’t. There is a very real human cost to this.

> Police warn new Android malware scam can factory reset phones; over S$10 million lost in first half of 2023

> There have been more than 750 cases of victims downloading the malware into their phones in the first half of 2023, with losses of at least S$10 million (US$7.3 million).

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/android-malware-sc...

> DBS, UOB become latest banks to restrict access if unverified apps are found on customers' phones

> They are the latest banks in Singapore to do so – after OCBC and Citibank – amid a spate of malware scams targeting users of Android devices.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/dbs-uob-anti-scam-...

> 74-year-old man loses $70k after downloading third-party app to buy Peking duck

> “I couldn’t believe the news. I thought: Why am I so stupid? I was so angry at myself for being cheated of my life savings. My family is frustrated and I ended up quarrelling with my wife,” said Mr Loh, who has three children.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/74-year-old-man-loses...

> Singapore Android users to be blocked from installing certain unverified apps as part of anti-scam trial

> "Based on our analysis of major fraud malware families that exploit these sensitive runtime permissions, we found that over 95 per cent of installations came from internet-sideloading sources," it added.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/anduril-secures-305...

> CNA Explains: Are Android devices more prone to malware and how do you protect yourself from scams?

> Why are scammers more likely to target Android users? How do you spot a fake app and what should you do if your device is infected by malware?

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/android-malware-sc...

> Nearly 2,000 victims fell for Android malware scams, at least S$34.1 million lost in 2023

> In 2023, about 1,899 cases of Android malware scams were reported in Singapore. The average amount lost was about S$17,960.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/android-malware-sc...

> Android users in Singapore tried to install unverified apps nearly 900,000 times in past 6 months

> These attempts were blocked by a security feature rolled out by Google six months ago as part of a trial to better protect users against malware scams, which led to at least S$34.1 million (US$25.8 million) in losses last year with about 1,900 cases reported.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/android-users-inst...

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2. g-b-r+1i[view] [source] 2025-06-05 18:24:49
>>JimDab+ud
Shouldn't we block "sideloading" to all other kinds of computers as well, then, and make it illegal?
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3. minite+xQ[view] [source] 2025-06-05 23:02:51
>>g-b-r+1i
We should implement mechanisms that make it hard and obvious to do unsafe things and easy to do safe things, in all kinds of computers; even as an expert user, I don’t want to have to think about my text editor’s color scheme being able to access my bank. Yes, this necessarily involves a barrier to installing apps with certain privileges, and it should be high enough in software targeted at non-expert users to provide them with protection against scams. No, we obviously shouldn’t make it illegal for a user to do what they want, and nobody has even come close to proposing that here. That’s a straw man.
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