It would be something of an understatement to say that Alphabet, Google’s holding company, is big and successful. Some Wall Street analysts are even predicting it could become the world’s most valu…
For the past 15 years1, F-Droid has provided a safe and secure haven for Android users around the world to find and install free and open source apps. When contrasted with the commercial app stores — of which the Google Play store is the most prominent — the differences are stark: they are hotbeds of spyware and scams, blatantly promoting apps that prey on their users through attempts to monetize their attention and mine their intimate information through any means necessary, including trickery and dark patterns.
Recently, Google introduced a new developer verification policy which is at odds with the DMA. It demands that apps can only be installed on its operating system if the app developers have verified themselves with Google, even if the app is not installed via the Play Store. This may sound like it only impacts app developers, but it very much impacts end users choice and freedom, in a detrimental way that is not in the spirit of the DMA.
