F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
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For the past 15 years, F-Droidhas provided a safe and secure haven for Android users around the world tofind and install free and open source apps. When cont...

Recently Google decided that in the future for an app to be installable on an Android device, the developer of this app needs to be ID’d and registered at Google. They claim this is in order to “to better protect users”. However, I think, this is a move to get more control over the Android ecosystem, and the data they can collect with it. If anyone who wants to develop an app for Android devices has to be registered with Google, this puts all the power of who to allow distributing an app to Google.

Furthermore F-Droid shows, that safe app stores can exist without registration, neither of users nor of developers. There is zero malware or spyware on the F-Droid store. What there is on F-Droid is thousands of beautiful, useful and, most importantly, safe apps. And this entire ecosystem is at risk, because Google wants to gain more control over its users and over the Android operating system.

    • General_Effort@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      9 hours ago

      Of course, the DSA already requires app stores to collect copies of identity papers, but it excluded small enterprises. I guess that’s why F-Droid didn’t have to do that, so far.

      The CRA takes effect in 2027. Maybe you could come up with some argument for how Google could do this differently. But why should they bother to lawyer this? It’s not their problem, and they’d only be damned for pushing back.

      Article 23

      Identification of economic operators

      1. Economic operators shall, on request, provide the market surveillance authorities with the following information:

      (a) the name and address of any economic operator who has supplied them with a product with digital elements;

      (b) where available, the name and address of any economic operator to whom they have supplied a product with digital elements.

      1. Economic operators shall be able to present the information referred to in paragraph 1 for 10 years after they have been supplied with the product with digital elements and for 10 years after they have supplied the product with digital elements.

      https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02024R2847-20241120