5 ms·

It doesn't require that you put DRM in your app. The iOS one does (which is part of the build / submission process).

comex 12y ago
I don't know enough about Android technically to tell whether this is true, but the blog post is complaining specifically about restrictions on reverse engineering the SDK. Another bullet point is about restrictions on jailbreaking; while this is certainly highly onerous and I don't think Google has an equivalent clause, it's worth noting that Google's ban on reverse engineering the Play Store and apps distributed by it (as opposed to the SDK itself) includes activities that, translated to Apple terms, are fairly important to jailbreaking. (In particular, many App Store apps refuse to run on jailbroken devices, and must be reverse engineered to identify how to bypass this check. I don't know what the situation is on Android, but I would be surprised if that clause wasn't rouinely ignored.)
- MCRed 12y ago
  TLDR: Google is doing it too. Thank you for pointing it out.
- yincrash 12y ago
  The main SDK is open source. It's built from the same tree as Android from the AOSP, and you can build it yourself right now, which makes reverse engineering it sort of moot. Things like billing APIs or maps or google's push notifications however are in closed binaries, which I believe is what the clause is protecting.
- yincrash 12y ago
  Additionally, I know enough of the Android build process to know that yes, it is true that the Google Play Store does not require DRM. It's also easy to pull any app that doesn't have DRM off a phone and put it on a phone using the debug tool that google themselves release (ADB). `adb pull <app location>` plug in new phone `adb install <app file you just pulled.apk>`
MCRed 12y ago
You can call it DRM but what it really is, is security. Apps are signed, preventing the running of unauthorized code, which keeps malware off the platform. If google really doesn't have this, then it's a shame, but it would explain why there's so much malware on android. EFF's position across this article is supporting malware, and preventing malware is the clear cause and reasons for all the things the EFF opposes.
- comex 12y ago
  Android encourages users to stick to the Play Store, but has an escape hatch for users who don't want to. If Apple had such a policy, it might increase the presence of malware, but only for users who explicitly decided to circumvent the normal distribution process. Most Android malware is distributed on the Play Store; the reasons it is prevalent include the lack of review process and the Android permission system, both of which are orthogonal to the ability to circumvent the store.
  - cpncrunch 12y ago
    I think Apple's policy is mainly aimed at preventing competing app stores. You see them having a conniption every time someone submits an app that includes an alternate app store. And while I don't particularly like their policy, they have every right to implement it in order to protect their revenue.
    - jshevek 12y ago
      > I think Apple's policy is mainly aimed at preventing competing app stores. Yes. Malware is the boogey man which apple uses to justify this.
- jevinskie 12y ago
  Signing doesn't require encryption that inhibits visibility into the app internals.
  - xsmasher 12y ago

comex 12y ago

I don't know enough about Android technically to tell whether this is true, but the blog post is complaining specifically about restrictions on reverse engineering the SDK. Another bullet point is about restrictions on jailbreaking; while this is certainly highly onerous and I don't think Google has an equivalent clause, it's worth noting that Google's ban on reverse engineering the Play Store and apps distributed by it (as opposed to the SDK itself) includes activities that, translated to Apple terms, are fairly important to jailbreaking. (In particular, many App Store apps refuse to run on jailbroken devices, and must be reverse engineered to identify how to bypass this check. I don't know what the situation is on Android, but I would be surprised if that clause wasn't rouinely ignored.)

MCRed 12y ago
TLDR: Google is doing it too. Thank you for pointing it out.
yincrash 12y ago
The main SDK is open source. It's built from the same tree as Android from the AOSP, and you can build it yourself right now, which makes reverse engineering it sort of moot. Things like billing APIs or maps or google's push notifications however are in closed binaries, which I believe is what the clause is protecting.
yincrash 12y ago
Additionally, I know enough of the Android build process to know that yes, it is true that the Google Play Store does not require DRM. It's also easy to pull any app that doesn't have DRM off a phone and put it on a phone using the debug tool that google themselves release (ADB). `adb pull <app location>` plug in new phone `adb install <app file you just pulled.apk>`

MCRed 12y ago

You can call it DRM but what it really is, is security. Apps are signed, preventing the running of unauthorized code, which keeps malware off the platform. If google really doesn't have this, then it's a shame, but it would explain why there's so much malware on android. EFF's position across this article is supporting malware, and preventing malware is the clear cause and reasons for all the things the EFF opposes.

comex 12y ago
Android encourages users to stick to the Play Store, but has an escape hatch for users who don't want to. If Apple had such a policy, it might increase the presence of malware, but only for users who explicitly decided to circumvent the normal distribution process. Most Android malware is distributed on the Play Store; the reasons it is prevalent include the lack of review process and the Android permission system, both of which are orthogonal to the ability to circumvent the store.
- cpncrunch 12y ago
  I think Apple's policy is mainly aimed at preventing competing app stores. You see them having a conniption every time someone submits an app that includes an alternate app store. And while I don't particularly like their policy, they have every right to implement it in order to protect their revenue.
  - jshevek 12y ago
    > I think Apple's policy is mainly aimed at preventing competing app stores. Yes. Malware is the boogey man which apple uses to justify this.
jevinskie 12y ago
Signing doesn't require encryption that inhibits visibility into the app internals.
- xsmasher 12y ago