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Comment by avra

11 hours ago

> We need to resist this!

I agree. What do you suggest? How can we contribute to the resistance?

Raise it at whatever level we can.

I've seen more outrage on HN posts about license changes than those related to this. I mean we are in the midst of one of the biggest rug pull of our lifetime and the response was not even remotely proportional. I wish it was a atleast a fraction of what it was during the SOPA act.

Not even businesses that could be hurt by entrenching Google more in the mobile space are acknowledging the issue.

That makes me think may be all the outrage at the SOPA time was probably "promoted" because it aligned with their commercial interests or may be Google is all too powerful and too deeply entrenched that nobody wants to upset them.

If you are in the EU, send a message to the DMA Team. Be polite, explain how Google is using its oligopoly power to shut out competing app stores and applications that can be installed outside the Play Store. Explain how it affects you.

An app becoming unavailable through remote attestation? New recaptcha? Document every case and send an e-mail to the DMA team.

I'm sure there's plenty of Google employees on here, some quite high up.

Push back against these types of decisions internally. Rally your coworkers against them.

And if you're brave enough, talk to a journalist, or pull a mini-Snowden. Lord knows the company has secrets. I bet there's at least one email chain from some exec bragging about how this policy will squash Revanced, ad-blockers, etc.

  • I guarantee you that there are zero email chains from execs bragging about a policy that'll block the dozens of users running Revanced.

This started with phishing, poor people being tricked to install apps that then drained their bank accounts. So to resist, maybe focus on that evil? Better international cooperation, better prosecution?

  • > This started with phishing

    It didn't.

    Phishing is just a pretext. Google didn't care about Phishing for the first 20 years of Android. Why do they now? Because it serves as argument to close their platform a little more (which is a trend that has been going on for years).

    • I think they care now because of pressure from the governments of the countries involved.

      And perhaps because ten and twenty years ago, the sums stolen were small. Now they're in the billions.

      4 replies →

    • I do think it's about Google trying to squeeze profits out of Android, but is there more direct evidence of this? Cause I always have to wonder if it's something else like KYC.

      2 replies →

  • All scams attempt I received from "hot asian ladies" involved putting my savings in apps that are already on the google app store.

    The scam apps are already in there. Please stop repeating google's propaganda.

  • or how about don't allow government and banks and telcos to use abusive apps to provide essential services?

    those people fall for this because for everything poor people do, they need an app that is provided by sleazy vendors and that require tons of permission, and face scan and what not. they were primed so those business could save in operating costs.

    that's the problem. won't solve it with slightly less sleazy vendors.

  • We can't even get India and Turkey sanctioned for evading the anti-Russian sanctions... good luck holding them accountable for the scam callcenters.