3 ms·

In the same way Windows and Mac computers can sidel...,ehm sorry, install software: we don't. Stores also sell guns, knives, chainsaws, highly addictive opiates

In the same way Windows and Mac computers can sidel...,ehm sorry, install software: we don't. Stores also sell guns, knives, chainsaws, highly addictive opiates, and 4 ton death machines capable of travelling at 100 mph. We do not restrict ordinary kitchen knives which have been used in terrorist incidents killing dozens, but draw the line at grandma sending $10k to a Nigerian prince? Even if we are restricting installing apps, there are less heavy handed measures. By enabling .apk installs only via developer options/command line/adb in a way that the average user will never be able to figure out, for example. Sprinkle a few warning pages with scary red lettering and it's fine. Grandma will never figure out how to run adb commands on Gentoo. There is a tradeoff between liberty and security. You can never guarantee security; the Google rules in the article won't ensure it either, as Google has been shown to simply not care about scam/malware apps published onto its own app store anyway. The whole security angle is a misdirection. The whole move is about control. > "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin

em-bee 1y ago
Stores also sell guns, knives, chainsaws, highly addictive opiates, and 4 ton death machines capable of travelling at 100 mph they don't sell them to people who don't know how to use them. with the exception of knives. but unlike technology, people do know how to use knives without getting hurt. they can easily see that chainsaws are dangerous. they need a drivers license for a car, and they can't get opiates without a prescription. none of these controls are available for apps, and yet, because they don't know how to use phones/apps safely, because they can't tell the difference between an app that is save, and one that isn't, they risk their livelihood because they fell for a scam. they are not going to install those apps by themselves. they will ask the techshop around the corner to do it for them, and the scammers give the techguy a cut for installing that app that steals your money. the problem is of course lack of education, but education doesn't have a quick fix. in the meantime many peoples lives will be ruined.
- adi_kurian 1y ago
  I am pretty sure, in many parts of the United States, an 18 year old can purchase a gun at a store, even if it is the first gun they have ever touched.
  - em-bee 1y ago
    they still know that guns are dangerous. and they can tell the difference between a toy gun and a real one. they can't however tell the difference between an app that can be trusted, and an app that will steal their money.
    - spwa4 1y ago
      > 4 ton death machines capable of travelling at 100 mph By contrast, they think the 4 ton death machines are a really cool way to impress girls and that's what they're used for. Similar in Europe, by the way. Not that there's any shortage of people who think guns are a cool way to impress girls.

em-bee 1y ago

Stores also sell guns, knives, chainsaws, highly addictive opiates, and 4 ton death machines capable of travelling at 100 mph they don't sell them to people who don't know how to use them. with the exception of knives. but unlike technology, people do know how to use knives without getting hurt. they can easily see that chainsaws are dangerous. they need a drivers license for a car, and they can't get opiates without a prescription. none of these controls are available for apps, and yet, because they don't know how to use phones/apps safely, because they can't tell the difference between an app that is save, and one that isn't, they risk their livelihood because they fell for a scam. they are not going to install those apps by themselves. they will ask the techshop around the corner to do it for them, and the scammers give the techguy a cut for installing that app that steals your money. the problem is of course lack of education, but education doesn't have a quick fix. in the meantime many peoples lives will be ruined.

adi_kurian 1y ago
I am pretty sure, in many parts of the United States, an 18 year old can purchase a gun at a store, even if it is the first gun they have ever touched.
- em-bee 1y ago
  they still know that guns are dangerous. and they can tell the difference between a toy gun and a real one. they can't however tell the difference between an app that can be trusted, and an app that will steal their money.
  - spwa4 1y ago
    > 4 ton death machines capable of travelling at 100 mph By contrast, they think the 4 ton death machines are a really cool way to impress girls and that's what they're used for. Similar in Europe, by the way. Not that there's any shortage of people who think guns are a cool way to impress girls.