Google's Android Developer Verification Program Criticized as Threat to Open Development
Not artisan, but a perfectly fine bagel. Hits the spot.
Summary
This article criticizes Google's upcoming Android Developer Verification program (starting September 2026), which will require all developers — including hobbyists, teenagers, and open-source volunteers — to pay a fee, submit government-issued ID, and agree to Google's terms in order to distribute software. Unregistered developers' apps will be silently blocked on all Android devices. The article argues this is not a security measure but a centralized identity database accessible to governments, and calls for action to block the policy before it takes effect.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledApps from unregistered developers will be silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.
That's not a security measure. It's a kill switch.
This policy creates a centralized database of every Android developer's real identity, accessible to governments.
The EFF calls app gatekeeping 'an ever-expanding' threat.
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