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...

The future of this elegant and proven system was put in jeopardy last month, when Google unilaterally decreed that Android developers everywhere in the world are going to be required to register centrally with Google. In addition to demanding payment of a registration fee and agreement to their (non-negotiable and ever-changing) terms and conditions, Google will also require the uploading of personally identifying documents[^regid], including government ID, by the authors of the software, as well as enumerating all the unique “application identifiers” for every app that is to be distributed by the registered developer.

If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open-source app distribution sources as we know them today, and the world will be deprived of the safety and security of the catalog of thousands of apps that can be trusted and verified by any and all. F-Droid’s myriad users5 will be left adrift, with no means to install — or even update their existing installed — applications.

  • Cris@lemmy.worldEnglish
    53·
    2 days ago

    I wish more people focused a bit more on the need to agree to terms and conditions, I didn’t know that was a part of this issue and that massively increases the negative impact of this potential policy change

    Google’s terms and conditions are consistently draconian and stupid. Especially if it’s the same terms and conditions applied to the play store, where apps constantly get pulled and devs are always frustrated as hell

    • Auli@lemmy.caEnglish
      3·
      7 hours ago

      Well maybe companies should make clear concise terms and conditions. No one is reading 30 pages of documentation to use something.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      19 hours ago

      What are people going to do instead? It isn’t really feasible for people to spend hours reading legalese and from the standpoint of the consumer there is really no other option

    • 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      39·
      2 days ago

      Google’s terms and conditions are consistently draconian and stupid.

      They are not stupid, they are just intentionally malicious.

    • Kami@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      13·
      2 days ago

      I will always believe that people can’t be asked to read a whole fucking T&C written in legalese to avoid being transformed in a human centipede.

      Fuck that bullshit!