I do not mean to support Google or any of their ideas, but their excuse of “protecting users from malware” really makes sense. That’s when it becomes bad.
You can’t imagine how foolish a person can be. Some people have become victims of malware and scams (both familiar and unusual scam techniques like “online kidnapping”). Mainstream media talks about scamming all the time, but it’s not enough to stop people with little knowledge from being scammed. Mainstream media also talks about the danger of installing random apps from the Internet, and it scares people.
Therefore, besides talking about the importance of privacy or freedom, we also need to find a way to balance between freedom and protection.
See, that argument would be fine if not for the fact as the vast majority of android malware comes from the google play store. The percentage of android users that actually install apps from alternative sources is so much smaller than those of the play store, and the existence of F-Droid and other community run app stores invalidates your argument. This is not about protecting users from malware, its about not allowing you to install what programs you want ON THE DEVICE YOU PAY FOR.
https://www.bitdefender.com/en-gb/blog/labs/malicious-google-play-apps-bypassed-android-security
Of course, we know the Google Play Store also contains a lot of malware or spyware, but will people understand? They will just say “It’s just a mistake, most apps on there are sill safe”.
Mainstream media has a big role on scaring people (I used to be a victim too).
I do not mean to support Google or any of their ideas, but their excuse of “protecting users from malware” really makes sense. That’s when it becomes bad.
You can’t imagine how foolish a person can be. Some people have become victims of malware and scams (both familiar and unusual scam techniques like “online kidnapping”). Mainstream media talks about scamming all the time, but it’s not enough to stop people with little knowledge from being scammed. Mainstream media also talks about the danger of installing random apps from the Internet, and it scares people.
Therefore, besides talking about the importance of privacy or freedom, we also need to find a way to balance between freedom and protection.
See, that argument would be fine if not for the fact as the vast majority of android malware comes from the google play store. The percentage of android users that actually install apps from alternative sources is so much smaller than those of the play store, and the existence of F-Droid and other community run app stores invalidates your argument. This is not about protecting users from malware, its about not allowing you to install what programs you want ON THE DEVICE YOU PAY FOR. https://www.bitdefender.com/en-gb/blog/labs/malicious-google-play-apps-bypassed-android-security
Of course, we know the Google Play Store also contains a lot of malware or spyware, but will people understand? They will just say “It’s just a mistake, most apps on there are sill safe”.
Mainstream media has a big role on scaring people (I used to be a victim too).