Apple and Google use their app stores to shape what apps you can and cannot have on devices, but now more governments—including the U.S. government—are using legal and extralegal tools to lean on these gatekeepers in order to assert that same control. Google’s central registration system will be devastating for the Android developer community. EFF has signed on to F-Droid’s open letter. If you care about taking back control of tech, you should too.
  • passenger@sopuli.xyz
    3·
    18 hours ago

    Add MS to the list with many open source programs showing a Smartscreen warning during install, unless the dev pays up (and probably gets vetted somehow).

    I bet the average user will not install after the Smartscreen block notification.

    • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      11·
      20 hours ago

      I’ve never seen a Smartscreen warning.

      Then again, I don’t use Edge and I disable Smartscreen.

      This is a very different thing than what Google does, though it’s in the same direction.

      • passenger@sopuli.xyz
        1·
        18 hours ago

        I don’t use Edge either. It comes when running an installer.

        It’s just a step away though.

        The only solution for the dev is to pay for some crap so it can be greenlit for something.