Comment by const_cast
20 days ago
I don't need a source, it's common fucking sense.
1. Most users do not use fdroid or APKs to download software. They download software from the play store.
2. Therefore almost all malware will target the play store.
3. Therefore most malware actively used comes from the play store.
4. Compounded, the play store does almost nothing to prevent malware and actively encourages certain types of malware like spyware and adware.
5. Compounded, Google gets a cut from each piece of malware sold on the play store or advertised on the play store, therefore they have no incentive to prevent malware in any significant way.
> 3. Therefore most malware actively used comes from the play store.
This isn't necessarily true even if you're right on all the other points. Even if most malware is on the Play Store, it can still be true that, out of the Android users that DO get malware (or rather, those that actually report malware to Google), most of them got it from outside the Play Store.
It can be true that a minority of users get any malware at all because Play Store is safe, but most users in that minority get malware because they are open to using apps from outside Play Store.
If Google is making this change in service of safety, they would protect a large chunk of that minority, by verifying apps downloaded outside Play Store. If it's necessary for Google to help these users, this change is not "completely unnecessary".