Your lovely host, late last night:
Google claims they won’t be sharing developer information with governments, but we all know that’s a load of bullshit, made all the more relevant after whatever the fuck this was. If you want to oppose the genocide in Gaza or warn people of ICE raids, and want to create an Android application to coordinate such efforts, you probably should not, and stick to more anonymous organising tools.
↫ Thom Holwerda
Let’s check in with how that other walled garden Google is trying to emulate is doing.
Apple has removed ICEBlock, an app that allowed users to monitor and report the location of immigration enforcement officers, from the App Store.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” Apple said in a statement to Business Insider. “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.”
↫ Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert, Peter Kafka, and Kwan Wei Kevin Tan for Business Insider
Oh.
Apple and Google are but mere extensions of the state apparatus. Think twice about what device you bring with you the next time you wish to protest your government’s actions.
For the surprise of exactly zero people who knows a dime about how these “big tech” behaves.
I’m quite confident now to say that this slow closing down of hardware platforms and handicapped operating systems tied to corporate clouds to work and be remotely managed by them, are actually a behind the door agreement between these corporations and governments.
Stallman was right.
“Stallman was right.”
As he is about many things. Unfortunately his style rubs a lot of people the wrong way and gives them things to use against him. Personally I have benefited from his work for going on at least thirty years now and appreciate all his efforts on my/our behalf.
His style, and his hygiene, and a bunch of his views not being in line with most society like his defense of sex offenders. Even leaving aside that specific one hes just a bit too disconnected from normal society and its off putting even to those that agree with his software stances
“not being in line with most society like his defense of sex offenders….. too disconnected from normal society ”
Whatever no idea on his stance on that, but normal society was more than happy to elect a rapist in chief who hung out with pedophilies on their island. As well as multiple time convicted felon on other charges to be President so any views he has on that are fully in the mainstream.
Not understanding why people bother building apps for things like this.
Couldn’t a webpage/website do the job just as well?
ponk,
There are things that local apps can do better, including notifications, offline access and the like. But in principal I do agree with you that they should have had a web version. Making it Iphone-centric is kind of disappointing, and frankly the censorship should have been foreseen. If it were an android APK, they could never take that away :-/
> If it were an android APK, they could never take that away :-/
Not if you can’t ‘sideload’ it.
adkilla,
Yeah. I thought it would be ironically funny to say it specifically because of the news that android is going to start blocking unauthorized APKs.
The author purposely only targeted the iphone due to its stronger protection of the privacy of its users. Given that google simply followed Apple (apparently, not even being asked to), kind of proves his point. You can hear an interview of him here , where he also explains why not a webapp/wpa (yet?): https://the-daily-beans.simplecast.com/episodes/iceblock-update-feat-joshua-aaron
fufascim,
Honestly I’m not going to listen to that hour long podcast. Is there any actual evidence that apple offers more privacy from the government than google does? Regardless, users would get more privacy sideloading an APK on their own than installing it through a google or apple app store. After all, neither apple nor google can beat the privacy of not sending any data to apple or google in the first place: they can’t leak information they don’t have!
Both apple and google are
I just wanted to point out that this choice was made by the concern of protecting the users of the application. Since I’m not competent to discuss the technical merits one way or another, I’ll tend to trust its judgement.
From my experience, I believe that I’ve only installed one (banking) application from the Android App Store (using micro-g, i think, built into e.OS) and all my other applications using either f-droid or with an apk, and yet that App Store keeps updating those other applications. To me that proves that the list of the application that are installed on my device could be known to a third party. Given the usage of (illegal) profiling that this administration commits to target individuals, it is obvious that the simple knowledge that someone has that application installed could put that person in great danger.
PS. the interview proper doesn’t last that long.
What’s stopping law enforcement from requesting a takedown of the site? If it were an app that you could install, at least the database last updated would still be on your phone. Granted, I too hate that everything is an app these days just to track your behavior and pester you with notifications, but this is a reasonable use case for an app.
Websites don’t have to be hosted within law enforcement’s jurisdiction.
Owner restrictions, regardless of their intended purpose, *will* be used for censorship. Even more-so as governments become more authoritarian. Apple’s already gone down the hole of taking away owner rights on their own property. For google to be adding the same restrictions to android and curtailing sideloading rights (despite lying about that claiming they aren’t) is another win for censors.
FuriPhone FLX1 is a modern smartphone with VoLTE that runs Debian.
FairPhone 5 will run Ubuntu Touch.
Anyone who stays on iPhone or Google Android because “banking” is just as cucked as someone who stays on Windows 11 because of “games.”
There are alternative solutions out there that aren’t fascist.
This is OSNews not Reddit, channel the past version of yourself who ended up here and used to be curious and spirited about technology.
Banking apps and sites require you to use their apps for authentication and approval of transactions. It is not even an option anymore.
It’s still easier to just use the banking websites.
At most, I’ll get a text message or a phone call to verify large transactions at the point of sale.
PayPal is the closest thing to WeeChat we have in the States and it doesn’t complain.
It was harder in 2005 when I had to configure a Twain scanner on Gnome to scan checks. My bank literally wouldn’t let me login unless I spoofed the useragent to read as a Windows machine.
SOULFLY98,
My bank used to have windows software for e-checking, but several years ago an authorized ios or android device became the only option for it. The website doesn’t have it. So I go to the bank to deposit checks the old fashioned way, but there’s no denying it’s less convenient. I’ll make that sacrifice to support alternatives, but not everyone is willing or able.
Fortunately the app isn’t required for anything else I meed. I don’t know if other local banks would be better or worse.
Like I have stated: Banking apps and sites require you to use their apps for authentication and approval of transactions.
You can’t use their sites without an app installed on your phone to approve your logins and any transactions you perform on their sites. Banks are using phones these days for MFA (Multi Factor Authentication).
My bank switched to that a couple of years ago. Before, I could use their website without needing a phone, but now the bank’s website needs me to confirm on my phone (via the bank’s app) that I want to log in. It also requires the app to confirm some online purchases.
I’d change banks but it looks like all the banks here are moving towards being app-centric.
While that may be the case in some countries/with some institutions, it’s not as universal as you’re making it out to be IME. For what it’s worth, between personal, family, and work, I use/regularly access accounts with half a dozen different financial institutions (multiple credit unions, Capital One, RBC, Tangerine, CTFS, and Brim) and all of the ones I’ve dealt with support SMS-based 2FA.
I’m running GNU/Linux (as opposed to Android or iOS) on my phone and use banking apps under emulation without any issue. Have done for many years.. It’s true not all banking apps will work, but I’ve not had problems with the three I use. I’m about to switch banks and part of my decision will be based on whether the banking app is compatible.
I agree with SOULFLY98. It’s all perfectly achievable, if not always as convenient.
Same boat as you.
Bank auth bullshit app runs under waydroid. When Im done, I kill waydroid. Two years without issues.
I’ve now tried my banking app under Waydroid and it doesn’t work.
It installed and opened with no issues, but won’t let me log in (says there’s an error and to try later — tried that and it still doesn’t work).
I can’t speak for other countries but Spain’s government and banks are certainly sleepwalking into becoming hostages of Android and iOS.
I agree with what you say but why are you using middle school incel language like that? “Fucked” would be more accurate and is more universally understood, and would get your point across more clearly without making you appear to be a juvenile attention seeker. You are allowed to curse on the internet, you know.
Maybe this is the start of the incelification of Osnews.
If there is a god, may she never let that happen.
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
If nothing else, it is at least a nice time-saver when people have the courtesy to include a de-facto “I’m a moron, disregard everything I’ve posted” note in their posts.
That’s the really sad thing, the meat of the post is agreeable, but that one bit spoils it. I hate being a grammar/style cop especially considering how I butcher the English language sometimes, but there are some words and phrases that simply shouldn’t exist for humanity’s sake. That one is a good example.
This is OSNews, exactly and my interest in operating systems remains, including proprietary ones. My phone is currently an iPhone 13 I bought second-hand. It’s actually my first one, I just wanted to have a look at iOS after all this years. And I’m writing this on a PC running Win11 for the exact same reason, I wanted to test it myself.
You certainly don’t seem “spirited” using words like “cucked” and “fascist” especially on a website where people are well aware there are alternatives and are using them.
Regarding Ubuntu Touch, I recently discovered my old Redmi 9 was supported, I intend to test it too.
Australia has complete border control. We arrest anyone that comes in illegally by boat, store them offshore in processing facilities and relocate them to overseas countries this includes refugees. Australia does take in refugees from other nations, but only legitimate asylum claims. They will swap illegal migrant/refugee arrivals with legal ones from countries such as USA. Illegal migration into Australia is only possible by overstaying a visa and those people get booted out immediately. One of my friends was here on a student visa from Malaysia he overstayed, was arrested and told to get on the next flight or he’d be put into detention. He got on a flight. He came and visited about 10 years later. The US border situation seems to be unique in that a bunch of Americans don’t seem to believe in being a nation/having borders. We don’t live in a world with universal values where everyone believes the same things. Borders are an unfortunate but necessary thing. Tech companies shouldn’t need to comply with government on this since the government already has many methods of tracking people, but there’s no real separation of corporate/state.
Darkmage,
We can probably agree there is a lot more nuance. The real controversy with the current administration’s ICE policies has very little to do with criminals or illegal immigration, which most people can agree on. The real problem is using illegal immigration rhetoric as a cover for authoritarian tactics, including violating the due process rights of legal immigrants who’ve committed no crimes.
Some of these “illegal immigrants”. are the result of government revoking approved visas retroactively without crimes or court orders. Some are being detained at their own immigration hearings.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-tactic-ice-arresting-migrants-immigration-courts-attorneys/story?id=122513021
Some are labeled as “terrorists” when they practice free speech and administration is too thin skinned to uphold our constitution. The administration will say “these are criminals/rapists/drug dealers/gang members who are getting what’s coming to them”, but by and large this it doesn’t reflect the facts on the ground. It’s just another blatant lie by an administration built on lying blatantly. ICE’s disdain for the law is laid bare when they pinball detainees between detention facilities to evade court orders. We have people literally kidnapped by unidentified ICE agents in masks without due process. And it’s not a matter of collateral damage against migrants who did not commit crimes, it’s the goal of having ICE operate this way. Even legal migrants fear their own safety.
I think many people who hate immigrants don’t mind that any of this is happening. They want to justify their own hatred, and the administration labeling the whole bunch as illegal immigrants and criminals helps the haters feel justified.
As if that isn’t enough of an atrocity, ICE has reportedly also begun “arresting” (read: kidnapping) natural born US citizens and sending them to immigration detention centers where they too are being denied due process and access to an attorney. No charges, no going before a judge, just literally treated as enemy combatants because they were in the area where ICE was operating.
The day is going to come — and it can’t come soon enough — that they are going to accidentally arrest someone powerful enough to shake the walls in DC and put a stop to this. I just hope that happens before it’s too late and we end up with a full fascist government. And I really hate to pin my hope on such a sliver of a chance of that happening, but it’s obvious the people in this country are either too afraid or else can’t be bothered to protest en masse. We did it in the 60s for civil rights, we damn sure need to do it today before we lose all of our remaining freedoms.
What does it have to do with the pudding? Do you think it is ok for the police to go on a parking lot and to start arresting people on the basis of their look?
In France at least, apps to map speed limit radars and warn drivers are illegal.
Instead they warn about “police enforcement zones”.
Maybe the ICE app can use similar euphemisms?
France’s law enforcers tend to play by the rule of law (so far, sigh…). That isn’t the case in the US right now – which is why that application has been built in the first place. FWIW the fallacious argument that the US government is using is that this application is used to target/stalk law enforcers (which is absurd on its face), So a change in the language of that application isn’t going to do much…