Android App Lockdown – The Promise and The ThreatGoogle has announced new restrictions for Android applications starting in 2026 rolling out through 2027. Developers of Android applications will need to register with Google and can do so now. In the future only applications created by registered developers and approved by Google will be allowed to run on Android operating systems (mobile phone, tablets, desktops, etc.). You can read about this change here:https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.htmlWhy is Google doing this?The stated purpose is to improve security for end users. With this change Google can restrict which applications run on Android, and can revoke application run permissions at any point in the future. This is supposed to increase the security of applications by allowing Google to quickly disable applications that carry malware, etc. Better security — this is the Promise.What is the Threat?Remember when the US government leaned on Google and Apple to have them remove the ICEBlock application from the Google Playstore and the Apple Store? On Apple devices you can only install applications from the Apple Store and that effectively killed the ICEBlock app for iPhones. Google also removed ICEBlock from the Google Playstore, but in the Google Android environment you are not restricted to the Google Playstore. There are other ways to install apps on your Android device. The ability to fully decide which applications you want to use on Android won’t exist after this change. Google will be able to kill any app on Android that it wants to. And that is the Threat — Google may cave to political pressure to remove apps that are not favored by the powers that be.Regardless of any possible increase in security, this change breaks the Open Source promise of Android. It also opens the path to complicity with autocrats and fascist regimes. We’ve seen how quickly technology companies surrender to political pressure. It is not unreasonable to think this may happen with Google Android devices in the future.What can you do?If you are an at-risk individual or organization you might think about deploying an additional device that is based on Linux. For PCs this might mean deploying Mint or other user-friendly Linux OS on a second device. The solution is harder for mobile phones. You can install GrapheneOS or Linux on a Pixel mobile phone device, but this is challenging for a non-technical user. Fortunately, Punkt is working on this and has already launched privacy-first mobile phone devices in the EU. Availability in the US is due this year. You can follow them here:https://www.punkt.ch/The time to start working on this is now. You might want to think about this as an interesting side-project that you can work on a little bit each day. Think about which applications are important to you (Signal? Proton Mail?) and install those first. If you are an IT expert, you have a special power to do good. You can help your at-risk friends, neighbors and family get started on this project. We nerds are not helpless – we can use our special powers to fight the dark forces.Stay safe.#Google #Android #Security #Privacy
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