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This law is terrible and I hope it isn't implemented, but it's enabled by the locked down and centralized nature of iOS and the way most people get apps on Andr
by Cider9986 4mo ago
This law is terrible and I hope it isn't implemented, but it's enabled by the locked down and centralized nature of iOS and the way most people get apps on Android, the Play store.
Once you try Android, you can't go back. I used an iPhone all my life, but a few months ago I switched to GrapheneOS and the FOSS software ecosystem is fantastic.
On iPhones, if a government doesn't want an app, like those ICE tracking apps, they can force Apple to remove them and no-one can install them. On Android, I source more than 90% of my apps from GitHub.
Dispelling FUD about Android:
1. The Google locking down Android only affects devices with privileged Play Services. GrapheneOS will not be affected because play services are not installed by default, and if they are installed, they are sandboxed and wouldn't have that authority.
2. If you were on a stock Android distribution, it's not that bad to wait 24 hours once. Yes, Google could make it worse, but that's just speculation. Their monopoly is being challenged to an extent through the GrapheneOS attestation, and will hopefully become illegal under anti trust law.
The change is only in play servics, AOSP takes a lot of steps to protect your privacy.
3. Causes for incompatibility on GrapheneOS are either exploit protections catching problems with an app, which can be disabled, or the app explicitly banning alternative operating systems as security theatre.
Only a small portion of banking and government apps completely ban GrapheneOS. Over 99% of apps are compatible. App developers have to add additional measured to break their app on GrapheneOS. I have over 40 apps and none are broken or have broken.
Some banking apps are officially supporting GrapheneOS through their privacy respecting attestation.
As more people use GrapheneOS, more apps will be pressured to support it. For example, although VW recently banned GrapheneOS, Hyundai and Kia have added express support for GrapheneOS in their apps.
- _aavaa_ 4mo agoThat’s great for Kia, but if I owned at VW it doesn’t do me much good. Same problem with banking apps.
- Cider9986 4mo agoMy point was that more apps practicing this security theatre are adding compatibility for GrapheneOS because it's rapidly growing in users.
- microtonal 4mo agoWe own a VW and I use GrapheneOS. The problem is that you have to draw a line in the sand somewhere. There are always reasons not to do the right thing and that's how we end up with systems that we don't control and track our every movement. GrapheneOS now has ~500,000 users and is becoming a force to be reckoned with. But 5,000,000 would be even better. At some point you become hard to deny. If VW does not fix this soon, our next car is not going to be a VW. Same if our bank decided to block GrapheneOS (very unlikely though, they are a green bank, and I communicated with them in the past about non-certified Android phones and they seemed very supportive).
- dlcarrier 4mo agoI may be a bit out of the loop, because I still drive a car with a solid metal key and a manual transmission, but why would your car care what OS your phone is running?
- Cider9986 4mo agoApps occasionally ban alternative operating systems as security theatre because Google tells them to, to enforce Google's monopoly.