Post B0l077ddKMQZdV8arA by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
(DIR) More posts by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
(DIR) Post #B0l0760bNzc0a9ruNc by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-29T15:38:56Z
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RE: https://privacysafe.social/@LearnToLivePrivate/115633091739693350I signed this petition about #Google restricting the installation of APKs and software sources like @fdroidorg . https://c.org/vfCG2X2kV7I will paste my comments on the petition into the thread below 👇
(DIR) Post #B0l077ddKMQZdV8arA by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-29T15:40:14Z
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@fdroidorg I am the founder of @yaleprivacylab , where we have investigated #privacy and #security issues in #Android apps since 2017. I can say without hesitation that this change makes Android users less safe.Android is based upon free and #opensource software (#FOSS) and that has always been defined by user choice. Blocking the capability to install apps directly from trusted sources outside #Google Play is not a small tweak. It removes a core freedom...
(DIR) Post #B0l0794G0rJo4MbMzg by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-29T15:41:14Z
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@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab We should not need permission to run software on devices we own.Framing this change as protection does not reflect the reality of the #Android ecosystem. #Google Play has long allowed unsafe apps, invasive tracker SDKs, and supply chain threats that slip through automated review. Independent audits have consistently revealed these issues inside of Google Play, even *after* Google claims to have scrubbed.
(DIR) Post #B0l079tIx49ScgU8Yq by nazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social
2025-11-30T00:16:58Z
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@profdiggity @fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab I think they were envious of Apple's walled garden and the enormous profits (at the expense of its users and numerous others indirectly affected along the way) that it allows.It's difficult to change from an open system to a closed one, but they seem to be trying.We are fast reaching a point where people need to just not even allow stock Android to exist on a device at all. But blocking third party distros will certainly be high on Google's list of things to kill as well...
(DIR) Post #B0l07AVwdP3mYWYzmy by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-30T02:24:37Z
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@nazokiyoubinbou @fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab For this reason, I think the most sustainable development efforts are those that direct energy into true GNU/Linux smartphones. That's one of the reasons why our @privacysafe dev team is putting our efforts there before targeting Android or iOS.From my testing, the most featureful and stable experience is @ubports on a Fairphone. But the UI/UX is definitely not what most Android or iOS users expect, as it developed in parallel to them over many years
(DIR) Post #B0l07BOBNkRfGjwJKS by APPTeOORuzvlGOetVY.verita84@poster.place
2025-11-30T02:25:37.049830Z
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@profdiggity @nazokiyoubinbou @fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab @privacysafe Will it actually be good phones that can compete with good phones for consumers or nerdy devs?
(DIR) Post #B0l07GQUeaGStM3j7o by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-29T15:41:45Z
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@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab For example, the X-mode SDK persisted long after it was banned in the USA by the FTC enforcement action, and was still present in many #Google Play apps until Google was called out by my own investigation. Initially, Google responded by saying I was wrong but then acknowledged their error in press. Long after that, other tracker SDKs associated with X-mode and the wider ad-tech #surveillance economy have persisted.
(DIR) Post #B0l07OVkavDtxya2Qi by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-29T15:42:11Z
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@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab In many cases, the safer and more privacy-conscious option is to use @fdroidorg to install apps. F-Droid is just one organization that is much more serious than #Google about checking the safety of their catalog of apps. Sometimes, the safest option is installing APKs directly from trusted developers.
(DIR) Post #B0l07WZwbDKazIbV4q by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-29T15:42:27Z
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@fdroidorg @yaleprivacylab These methods can avoid ad trackers, #surveillance code, and unwanted data sharing. To cut off these options is to put many activists, journalists, whistleblowers, and ordinary users at risk.
(DIR) Post #B0l1QlOlp8I4PH7CTI by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-30T02:34:24Z
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@verita84 @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou That's the kind of open question asked eternally for any edge solution and carries a bit of built-in criticism, IMO :)These non-Android distros run on plenty of "normal" consumer phones now. That's not the barrier - there's always other issues with market penetration, critical mass, mainstream adoption, enterprise use etc.Generally, consumers may demand iPhones, but only use Android because it's bundled with carrier plans...
(DIR) Post #B0l1QmswIS1718Eo8O by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-30T02:36:54Z
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@verita84 @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou For this conversation, it's worth noting that *not* believing in GNU/Linux smartphones and investing in Android has got us to this point.Is it time to diverge and invest in future sustainability? Nothing stops devs from building for Android and iOS (and I think they still should) but let's start treating GNU/Linux mobile devices as first-class citizens. It's been decades of skittering around Google.
(DIR) Post #B0l1Qnk76kYFg37H16 by APPTeOORuzvlGOetVY.verita84@poster.place
2025-11-30T02:40:27.140652Z
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@profdiggity @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou Good luck. Companies already have to have a lot of resources hiring Android and IOS devs. Now you want to add another option to the mix. All the current Linux phones suck and are buggy trash.
(DIR) Post #B0l2Qs2xCq2IynWecS by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-30T02:46:24Z
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@verita84 @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou Everyone knows it's a difficult mountain to climb, and has been for decades in different forms.Similar case - We're using Mastodon / ActivityPub. Did anyone really expect that solution to reach the level of adoption it now has?
(DIR) Post #B0l2QtUzo43rU3eYy0 by APPTeOORuzvlGOetVY.verita84@poster.place
2025-11-30T02:50:46.398689Z
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@profdiggity @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou Mastodon's numbers are pathetic compared to the competition. For example, Bluesky's numbers are way better in no time. Normies don't stay here https://www.wired.com/story/the-mastodon-bump-is-now-a-slump/Looking at the data, what is there to be proud of about ActivityPub?
(DIR) Post #B0l3ZexjK2iyxZpxK4 by profdiggity@privacysafe.social
2025-11-30T03:01:55Z
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@verita84 @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou I'm very proud considering where it started :) Those numbers are great considering all the factors at play.I've been at this now with Free Software for 25 years and plan to continue for at least 25 more. So, I see a LOT of progress and of course setbacks as well.Many technologies are used by thousands or millions, but never reach mass adoption.I don't have a savior complex. If I can't save the planet, I still try. How else?
(DIR) Post #B0l3ZgKSF2UpCLTcNk by APPTeOORuzvlGOetVY.verita84@poster.place
2025-11-30T03:04:30.630432Z
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@profdiggity @fdroidorg @privacysafe @yaleprivacylab @nazokiyoubinbou All you need to do is start a family and raise your kids. That’s it.