Now it’s an international matter of national security. Let’s go world, time to de-americanize your tech.
Yes, but, from the article: ”GrapheneOS also says governments and banks are increasingly adopting these verification systems for things like payments, digital ID apps, and age verification services.
“Instead of governments stopping Apple and Google from engaging in egregiously anti-competitive behavior, they’re directly participating in locking out competition via their own services,” Graphene said."
Exactly, it’s not only about fighting Google, it’s also about setting a better, more open standard for the rest of the market.
Recently my bank has rolled out a new mobile app now relying on Google wallet for NFC payment. I was able to use NFC payment on GrapheneOS on the old app, I can’t on the new one. The online banking stuff still works (for now) but no more mobile payment for me. I didn’t sign a fucking contract with Google, why would I hand over my payment data to them !
You need to call your bank and the media. Word has to get out.
My bank hands out these weird little plastic cards like it’s 2016 or something.
Yep, my own government (UK), have rolled out a digital ID app that only works with Play Services intact, so I had to jump through hoops to prove my ID so I could renew my driving licence. It’s bullshit.
Here’s a list I had compiled of non Google/Apple alternatives.
- Murena (France) with /e/OS (France) on:
- Fairphone (Netherlands)
- Hiroh (USA)
- SHIFTphone (Germany)
- Teracube (USA)
- Punkt MC03 (Switzerland)
- Volla (Germany) with Volla OS or Ubuntu Touch (Germany)
- Jolla (Finland) with Sailfish OS (Finland)
- Furilabs (China) with FuriOS (pronounced “furious”) based on Debian with Phosh UI.
- Purism Librem (USA, manufactured in the USA)
- Pine64 (China) Pinephone with Manjaro (Germany), postmarketOS (?) or Mobian (USA)
- Murena (France) with /e/OS (France) on:
I just made the switch to Graphene a few days ago and I found it fitting that my government’s digital id app couldn’t be installed on my phone anymore. Oh well.
That’s an American thing, not just Google. They only believe in a free market when it’s their products and services. Theft is fine as long as it’s only them.
When a Capitalist says “free market” what they mean is “free to monopolize.” It’s about keeping the pathway to feudalism free and open. The US is its temple, but Capitalism is a global cancer.
this is just capitalism thing.
Google and the Open Web
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Embrace
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Extend
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Extinguish <-- we’re here
Ah yes, the 4X buisness strategy. Building an empire through four core pillars:
eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate
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Graphene OS need to develop their own app store.
They already have one. Maybe they could partner with F-droid…
More anti-trusts lawsuits please. Just put a fine of no lesser than a 100 Billion $ on these parasites.
The current US government is strongly in favor of corporations screwing over individuals, so we aren’t likely to get any help there. The EU and China are the only organizations that might be able to intervene. Unfortunately, they both seem more interested in the surveillance opportunities than in the good of their citizens.
We seem to be heading toward a two-tiered internet. One that will be accessible to everyone, but will be limited in terms of commerce and possibly content. One that will only be accessible to people who are willing to give up their privacy. That might actually turn out to be a good thing. Buying from the corporations could easily end up limited to the later group, which would encourage more people to shift their buying to other sources.
I may start keeping a cheap device that lives in a Faraday cage that obeys the corporate rules and only comes out when I absolutely need it, and then a graphene device of sorts as my daily driver. Ive almost completely de-googled otherwise.
was looking at phone options recently and, honestly, fairphone has become the only choice as a daily driver. I am now absolutely fine with the limited fairphone specs as a trade-off for a device I control as my own.
will keep older phones for any corp BS that I am forced to deal with. hopefully we can legislatively minimize the interactions.
I’ve done this ever since banking/financial apps became the norm. Something about carrying a small easily lost/stolen device containing access to every penny I own as well as possible credit/loans worth several years salary didn’t seem like good finsec. If it can touch money, its on my sim-less stock old android that lives in a Faraday bag for 99% of the year.
I completely agree.
…and as soon as OpenNIC takes their SSL/TLS Cert generator out of experimental and into something stable - we can start.
Privacy concerned people can start to rebuild the internet based on the original principles of “sharing information and ideas”, rather than " maximizing engagement ".
edit: a word
I don’t understand why Google would do this. I mean, you sell a phone that has an alternative operating system that runs well on it, and you sell more phones, right? Or do they actually sell hardware at a loss? Is that what’s happening?
They don’t care about HW. HW is just a “distribution line” for their software. They care more about people using their software and giving them data. Most Android phones sold are not Google’s Pixels but third party vendors. If a particular device doesn’t sell well they won’t care as ling as the Google ecosystem gets strengthend.
It’s been incredibly clear for a long time that the combination of greed, stupidity, and selfishness does not care about making money based on consumer happiness.
Product is a higher quality so people will buy more? That could mean that someone else can make a better thing, and implies choice. Bettee to just assure that the competition doesn’t exist and then we can make shittier, cheaper things that cost even more.
Four day work-weeks are more productive and make people happier? It also means they’ll expect respect and we can’t have that.
Basing the entire world power supply on gasoline is clearly a terrible idea and we should be looking to have a diverse set of sources, many of which are renewable? How about we just make up a bunch of lies and propaganda so that we never need to change?
Sony had to come up with lithium-ion batteries for their products because battery manufacturers were plenty happy making lead-acid and telling everyone who wanted more to go fuck themselves.
The reason you don’t understand is because you assume that there’s a level of morality to capitalism and to corporate decision making. There is less than zero, it’s awful on purpose.
Google is an advertising company. Everything they do is about collecting data to feed their advertising arms.
I hope every de-googled os goes completely open source supportive. And i hope people choose these os’s over google or any other closed source/centralized company
I’m not sure if “rival” is the right term. Seems like Google would be very happy to be a monopoly.
Well, yeah, we’re well into the stage where it’s not quality that sells Google products and services.
This is the Pillaging Stage of Google’s business: as they screw both customers and users (Google’s customers aren’t their users) for short term “growth” they can only hold market share by taking advantage of market barriers to entry, networking effects and their current market share to force both customers and users to keep on using Google products and services.
Slowly bringing his palm to his forehead a raspy voice whispers “***No Shit ***MORONS”
Most people don’t care.
Hell I’m even the “weird one” only because I tend to use FOSS options when I can.
Who the hell would use YouTube over NewPipe??
I feel the days of free YouTube front ends is coming to an end. I’m honestly surprised they’re still alive. Didn’t they try to kill yt-dlp recently? Together with their playstore developer verifications, YouTube VPN restrictions, making life harder for Android derivatives, YouTube ad blockers, and on and on, I don’t see a bright future for anything that piggybacks off of Google’s back.
I’m still waiting for a mobile phone manufacturer to support a free OS. Until then I’ll stick to degoogled android.
i had to install Newpipe in my gf’s phone, she’d show me something in YT and need to wade through endless shit before getting to the content. I forget occasionally how shitty an experience YT can be if you don’t make some effort until i use someone elses device.
Ironically, the “weirder” option is more convenient in most cases. NewPipe sometimes breaks when there are API changes or some bs, and vids with age restrictions don’t work at all so I would need to look for another vid with the same content (or use a browser sadly)
I think spreading awareness about privacy would be the first step to move people into decentralized platforms
Getting more open hardware though requires more efforts unfortunately
Brothers in arms mate. I use FOSS whenever absolutely possible. I hear about a new type of service, and my first criteria before evaluating it is, can I run it as FOSS? If the answer to that question is no, then I immediately reject that new service until I can use it in a FOSS manner. Do not pass go. Do not collect one Monero.
Is there an advantage to using newpipe if I pay for premium?
You can stop giving Evil Inc your hard earned money
It’s like 5usd for a family plan in my country. I doubt that’s making a dfference. Also, I sincerely doubt you’re not using any Google services/products in your life. Not to mention that there are plenty of "evil inc"s out there.
Re: 5 USD. Google makes most of it’s money from advertising - which works by tracking everything you do and building detailed profiles of you.
Re: I sincerely doubt you’re not using any Google services/products in your life. Not to mention that there are plenty of "evil inc"s out there. This might not be intentional, but it sounds to me like whataboutism combined with “there is no perfect option, so we shouldn’t do anything”. 90% reduction in use of google services, is better than not doing anything. Heck, 10% reduction is better. Whatever gets you started on the journey. And as a lot of people have correctly identified, it’s not easy. It takes time.
Google makes most of it’s money from advertising - which works by tracking everything you do and building detailed profiles of you.
So the answer’s “no”? Gotcha. I do try to avoid using google products and I do use extensions to try to prevent tracking. So maybe they’re making less money off of me than others? Who knows.
This might not be intentional, but it sounds to me like whataboutism combined with “there is no perfect option, so we shouldn’t do anything”.
Not even close my friend. However, you can’t fight every single battle. I try to pollute as little as possible, selfhost everything I can, don’t buy things I don’t really need, etc. Regarding youtube though? I just wanted to watch videos without ads on my tv and it cost me next to nothing to be able to do that.
Pro tip :P you can use "> " to quote text. It’s easier to read.
“My small contribution to evil is meaningless “. Gotcha.
You’re so far off the mark that I’m not even going to keep spending my time to explain why.
I did not know about new pipe. Thank you
Pipepipe is working better for me
The duopoly keeps on adding more barriers to new entrants while alleging other reasons. Not surprised.
Am I the only one worried that the source says Android Authority? Is this the fucking Google site?
step 1 - buy Linux phone
step 2 - profit!
Buy linux phone
Try to figure out how to make it work
Where are my apps
Why is the camera shit?
Profit, I can purchase stamps to communicate with those on the other side of techtopia.
Jokes aside the curve is too steep, feature parity lacking and network effects too strong. I would like to but where is the on ramp? Do I have to go back to blurry slow cameras and no face unlock or fingerprint? NFC? Car projection? Can I get a sandboxed whatsapp?
then give up your freedom for the features you are used to, but don’t complain later.
But sure I could go back to te stoneage so, are you offering an alternative or not?
Its easy to tell people to value privacy, which I do, but the reality is that to encourage privacy being adopted you need to offer or incentivise its adoption.
It affects you if you dont, your number in my phone is scraped all the same. Your secure emails land in my insecure inbox.
you are mixing privacy and freedom, but generally speaking all alternatives need effort, including the one I already gave you.
be the change you want to see, as they say.
or don’t but then this happens and it sucks more than not having NFC or whatever.
No, he has a point. Linux phones are not an alternative at this point because they aren’t even remotely close to feature parity. It’s like arguing MS Paint is a viable alternative to Photoshop. Currently there are few if any actual alternatives to either iPhones or flagship Android phones. The best you can do at the moment is one of the de-Googled flavors of Android but that only buys you so much and even then you’re losing a fair amount of functionality.
I actually bought a Linux phone a few years ago but the experience then was so terrible it wasn’t much better than a pre-smartphone like an old Nokia. It seems like things have improved a lot since then, but even now it’s not to a standard that a Linux phone is a viable alternative for anyone that needs more than just a web browser and basic calling and texting. Hopefully it will get there soon, but it’s definitely not there yet.
