This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Now it's an international matter of national security. Let's go world, time to de-americanize your tech.
Yes, but, from the article: ”GrapheneOS also says governments and banks are increasingly adopting these verification systems for things like payments, digital ID apps, and age verification services.
“Instead of governments stopping Apple and Google from engaging in egregiously anti-competitive behavior, they’re directly participating in locking out competition via their own services,” Graphene said."
Exactly, it's not only about fighting Google, it's also about setting a better, more open standard for the rest of the market.
Recently my bank has rolled out a new mobile app now relying on Google wallet for NFC payment. I was able to use NFC payment on GrapheneOS on the old app, I can't on the new one. The online banking stuff still works (for now) but no more mobile payment for me. I didn't sign a fucking contract with Google, why would I hand over my payment data to them !
You need to call your bank and the media. Word has to get out.
I mean, a bank is a bank, they are all very similar. Unless you have an extremely good interest rate on it, I would just close the account and go elsewhere. Make sure to tell them on the way out that's why.
Alternatively you can just transfer funds to another app and keep using their bank and use the other account as the NFC payment one but, that's too complicated for my tastes.
Yep, my own government (UK), have rolled out a digital ID app that only works with Play Services intact, so I had to jump through hoops to prove my ID so I could renew my driving licence. It's bullshit.
I just made the switch to Graphene a few days ago and I found it fitting that my government's digital id app couldn't be installed on my phone anymore. Oh well.
Where do we find another furious person to start the equivalent of SKG, but this time against Apple Google duopoly, to get a hearing before the EU parliament?
The fact that national governments and banks require Apple / Google device attestation in the current geopolitical situation is a damn sabotage.
Here's a list I had compiled of non Google/Apple alternatives.
Please consider donating to PostmarketOS to build up a pure mobile Linux alternative that is completely free of Google's influence. It's the best long-term option we have.
Maybe the EU can slap some fines on that? It's anti competitive and against the DMA i assume
The EU can fine them for things like this but it won't make much difference. To provoke long term change, we need a way to block them from our countries and that's impossible.
That’s an American thing, not just Google. They only believe in a free market when it’s their products and services. Theft is fine as long as it’s only them.
When a Capitalist says “free market” what they mean is “free to monopolize.” It’s about keeping the pathway to feudalism free and open. The US is its temple, but Capitalism is a global cancer.
The current US government is strongly in favor of corporations screwing over individuals, so we aren't likely to get any help there. The EU and China are the only organizations that might be able to intervene. Unfortunately, they both seem more interested in the surveillance opportunities than in the good of their citizens.
We seem to be heading toward a two-tiered internet. One that will be accessible to everyone, but will be limited in terms of commerce and possibly content. One that will only be accessible to people who are willing to give up their privacy. That might actually turn out to be a good thing. Buying from the corporations could easily end up limited to the later group, which would encourage more people to shift their buying to other sources.
I completely agree.
...and as soon as OpenNIC takes their SSL/TLS Cert generator out of experimental and into something stable - we can start.
Privacy concerned people can start to rebuild the internet based on the original principles of "sharing information and ideas", rather than " maximizing engagement ".
edit: a word
I may start keeping a cheap device that lives in a Faraday cage that obeys the corporate rules and only comes out when I absolutely need it, and then a graphene device of sorts as my daily driver. Ive almost completely de-googled otherwise.
I hope every de-googled os goes completely open source supportive. And i hope people choose these os's over google or any other closed source/centralized company
The irony of having this in the middle of the article
The capitalists will sell us the noose with which we will hang them? or however it goes...
Well, yeah, we're well into the stage where it's not quality that sells Google products and services.
This is the Pillaging Stage of Google's business: as they screw both customers and users (Google's customers aren't their users) for short term "growth" they can only hold market share by taking advantage of market barriers to entry, networking effects and their current market share to force both customers and users to keep on using Google products and services.
I'm not sure if "rival" is the right term. Seems like Google would be very happy to be a monopoly.
The duopoly keeps on adding more barriers to new entrants while alleging other reasons. Not surprised.
European institutions and apps should be banned from employing reCAPTCHA, Google's Play Integrity API and Apple's App Test API, if this is how they are to function. At the same time, Apple and Google need to be sanctioned for this approach, as I am certain that it violates fair competition laws.
Graphene OS need to develop their own app store.
They do have their own App Store, it’s just only got like… 14 apps in it. Mostly just the stuff they’ve made them selves that they’re super confident in the security of, as well as a couple of other app stores like Accrescent
To start allowing submissions of any third party app to it would ether require them to do a ton of vetting to ensure it meets their standards, or for them to drop the standards for security and privacy for it. If you want more than that handful of defaults, Accrescent and the google play mirror are there ready to be installed
Time to branch out, get more manufacturer support like Motorola and champion the consumer. C'mon graphene throw us a bone.
I don't understand why Google would do this. I mean, you sell a phone that has an alternative operating system that runs well on it, and you sell more phones, right? Or do they actually sell hardware at a loss? Is that what's happening?
Google is an advertising company. Everything they do is about collecting data to feed their advertising arms.
They don't care about HW. HW is just a "distribution line" for their software. They care more about people using their software and giving them data. Most Android phones sold are not Google's Pixels but third party vendors. If a particular device doesn't sell well they won't care as ling as the Google ecosystem gets strengthend.
