zlacker

>>kotaKa+(OP)
> The requirement will go into effect in September 2026 for users in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Google notes how these countries have been “specifically impacted by these forms of fraudulent app scams.” Verification will then apply globally from 2027 onwards.

At least most of the world has until 2027 to install LineageOS or GrapheneOS.

>>mrblue+nB
Apps are increasingly failing to run on grapheneos because Google is pushing for the play integrity verification. More and more apps, some critical like banking apps, some not at all, require your device to be running an official rom signed by Google.

>>auciss+kC
So I will go back to carry two devices, I guess. Like when I had a Jolla Phone and an Android phone. Or before that with a Palm PDA and a dumbphone. It is convenient to have everything combined in a single device, but guess that turned out to be just a temporary luxury.

>>3036e4+hE
Great for you. What about the normies ? You know the people that protest and make things change, how they are going to organize themselves when their government gets authoritarian and apple/google obeys to governments request to forbid some app. You know like what happened during Hong Kong protest with Apple App Store.

I’m not saying I have a solution but looking at yourself and pretending it’s all fine because you’re 10 times more tech savvy than the average citizen isn’t a viable answer. That kind of issue must be solved by regulation, hopefully Europe gets to bring back on earth whoever at Google agreed on that idea.

>>auciss+pG
It's not "all fine", but realistically it's the best that you can hope to achieve.

The "normies" won't protest because it mostly doesn't affect them, at least not in any direct and obvious way that would trigger a pushback.

Regulation is unlikely to give you what you want. For one thing, regulators love centralization in general because it makes it much easier to regulate - when there are only a few large players, you can write the laws around them, effectively forcing them to be the enforcers. A large and diverse field where users can install whatever apps from wherever is much harder to regulate wrt things like banning porn or violent games or whatever it is that "normies" feel upset and demand that SOMEONE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!1! today.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't try to use political tools. Just be very clear that what you're trying to achieve is a minority take, and therefore you're unlikely to actually reach the goal in a democracy; at best, you will move the needle very slightly.

So, if you want to actually enjoy freedom in the meantime, learn how to be a criminal.