Comment by EasyMark
20 days ago
It's never about security (at least not user's security). It's like you pointed out only about power and locking in customers. They don't care if your phone gets hacked or you bank account drained. They care about the bottom line. Android is fine. Google should have 2 layers if they're worried playstore 1 has only well vetted authors and apps. playstore 2 can be the free for all (mostly) of the current store. These could be two different apps or prominent tags. Choice is good, lock down is bad. Corporate does not like employees or customers to have freedom, that's why it's our duty to fire people like the current US regime who always side with corporations over customers.
This is a drastic response, but they didn't make up the security threat. Attackers convincing users to side-load malware is a thing.
https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/hacker...
The thing is that people sideloading good non-malware apps because they want to is also a thing, and all kinds of icky apps that abuse permissions but are still verified and installed through the Play Store are also a thing. This doesn't really change what is a thing. It just moves more stuff under Google's control.
security is the "Save the Children" of technology. It's not that there isn't a theoretical thing there, it's that in the real material sense, the actual actions taken are power grabs for control and suppression.
> Attackers convincing users to side-load malware is a thing.
Sure. It’s also not Google’s problem.
It’s not Victorinox’s problem of someone uses a Swiss Army knife to cut someone else. It’s not Toyota’s problem if someone deliberately runs over a pedestrian.
Car companies do care if their cars are easy to break into and will improve the security of newer models, even if any particular theft is not their fault.
If they don't do that then their reputation will suffer and governments might take notice. So, in practice, big companies do have to care about their users, not individually but in aggregate.
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They made it up in the sense that it's completely unnecessary - most malware is on the Play Store.
What is the source for this extraordinary claim? Also, malware hosted in the play store has the property of being tied to an identity which can be banned.
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It's the security of having happier shareholders, making more money.
That's still security, albeit an entirely different threat model.