- Judge James Donato intends to dismantle Google’s Android app store monopoly, following an earlier ruling declaring it illegal.
- Google argued that opening its store to competitors would be too costly and complex, but the judge dismissed this claim, emphasizing that barriers will be removed.
- Proposed remedies include banning discriminatory practices against rival app stores and setting up a committee to monitor compliance and report regularly.
They created it the way it is very intentionally. “It’s hard to work with” is their problem, and has absolutely nothing to do with the relevant regulation.
I don’t see what would be difficult about removing restrictions and maintaining or expanding a basic store API which they already have.
The only problem I see is Google already allows a lot of malware and junk in their store, this would only make it worse.
That’s a good mental backflip.
Can you explain in technical detail why? Because I don’t see this really being much of an issue.
- Alternative stores in the App stores would still need to go trough Google’s process of being accepted. Notices can be added to their download pages and these stores can even be forced to undergo a stricter process to make sure they are legit.
- Downloading using a different front end changes absolutely nothing in terms of malware and junk.
Google can vet the app store but they are not going to be able to vet every app that’s inside that app store.
I’m not completely clear on whether Google will just be forced to allow alternate app stores into Google Play or allow more apps into Google Play. Either way I’m not sure I see the point of an app store inside an app store. We can already install whatever app stores we want.
There’s also the existing problem of app stores like the Samsung app store updating apps that weren’t downloaded from their store, which seems to me would open things to security vulnerabilities if one of the front ends gets hacked and then starts updating apps that you didn’t even download from that app store.
I want my phone to be more like a computer and install what I want on it. But, I recognize the walled App Stores has maybe protected the common folks from turning our cellular network into a large, out of control, botnet.
With that said, I recognize computers exist. I guess I just hope it’s done with thought and care.
For what it’s worth, both Android and iOS are vulnerable to zero click RCEs, see NSO Group and their Pegasus spyware.
One of the reasons we don’t really have zombie phones in botnet swarms is because selling the RCE on the grey market is way more lucrative than burning it to infect some devices for a botnet since phones are way more attractive targets than computers if you’re actively targeting an individual.
A fully compromised smartphone is will give access to practically all of a target’s communications: their phone calls, SMS messages, encrypted text messaging (Signal/WhatsApp/iMessages) and probably their email as well. You will also gain access to a good portion of their web browsing, and their is a very good chance you will gain access to their 2FA as well (Authenticator application or SMS) allowing you to further easily compromise any of their online accounts. Plus, you gain access to any files on their phone (which are often very good kompromat if your goal is to blackmail), their live location and the ability to spy on them covertly through the camera and the microphone.
Compare that to a laptop. You gain access to some of their web browsing, some files (often only professional in nature), and maybe access their camera and microphone some of the time, since the laptop isn’t always on and beside you.
sorry but that seems like a prejudiced judge; a judge shouldn’t declare intent, he should listen to the facts of the case as presented.
We’re in the sentencing/remedy stage now.
Im here to link what other commenters have informed you already.
From the article:
Following a federal jury’s unanimous ruling eight months ago that Google’s Android store is an illegal monopoly in the Epic v. Google case, Judge Donato made his intentions clear during the final hearing on remedies, reported The Verge.
While Google argued that opening its store to rival stores would be too much work or cost too much, Donato has dismissed these claims. “We’re going to tear the barriers down, it’s just the way it’s going to happen,” he stated.
Adding, “The world that exists today is the product of monopolistic conduct. That world is changing." Donato will issue his final ruling in a little over two weeks.
I’m struggling to make this non antagonistic, but please make a habit of reading relevant info before having an opinion on any topic so we can have relevant discussions instead of this. Danke
Ngl I like how the courts have been changing their response to Google et al’s “but that’s expensive and hard” defense from “oh, ok, nvm” to “to bad, do it anyways motherfuckers”
Moar!
