https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/
Re: Mandatory Developer Registration for #Android App Distribution
Date: February 24, 2026
To: Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, #Google
To: Sergey Brin, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Larry Page, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Vijaya Kaza, General Manager for App & Ecosystem Trust, Google
CC: Regulatory authorities, policymakers, and the Android developer community
We, the undersigned organizations representing civil society, nonprofit institutions, and technology companies, write to express our strong opposition to Google’s announced policy requiring all Android app developers to register centrally with Google themselves in order to distribute applications outside of the Google Play Store, set to take effect worldwide in the coming months.
While we do recognize the importance of platform security and user safety, the Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration. Forcibly injecting an alien security model that runs counter to Android’s historic open nature threatens innovation, competition, privacy, and user freedom. We urge Google to withdraw this policy and work with the open-source and security communities on less restrictive alternatives.
Our Concerns
1. Gatekeeping Beyond Google’s Own Store
Android has historically been characterized as an open platform where users and developers can operate independently of Google’s services. The proposed developer registration policy fundamentally alters that relationship by requiring developers who wish to distribute apps through alternative channels — their own websites, third-party app stores, enterprise distribution systems, or direct transfers — to first seek permission from Google through a mandatory verification process, which involves the agreement to Google’s terms and conditions, the payment of a fee, and the uploading of government-issued identification.
This extends Google’s gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role. Developers who choose not to use Google’s services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google. Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide also gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants to, for any reason, for the entire Android ecosystem.
2. Barriers to Entry and Innovation
Mandatory registration creates friction and barriers to entry, particularly for:
Individual developers and small teams with limited resources
Open-source projects that rely on volunteer contributors
Developers in regions with limited access to Google’s registration infrastructure
Privacy-focused developers who avoid surveillance ecosystems
Emergency response and humanitarian organizations requiring rapid deployment
Activists working on internet freedom in countries that unjustly criminalize that work
Developers in countries or regions where Google cannot allow them to sign up due to sanctions
Researchers and academics developing experimental applications
Internal enterprise and government applications never intended for broad public distribution
Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in the hands of large established players who can more easily absorb such compliance costs.
3. Privacy and Surveillance Concerns
Requiring registration with Google creates a comprehensive database of all Android developers, regardless of whether or not they use Google’s services. This raises serious questions about:
What personal information developers must provide
How this information will be stored, secured, and used
Whether this data could be subject to government requests or legal processes
Re: Mandatory Developer Registration for #Android App Distribution
Date: February 24, 2026
To: Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, #Google
To: Sergey Brin, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Larry Page, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Vijaya Kaza, General Manager for App & Ecosystem Trust, Google
CC: Regulatory authorities, policymakers, and the Android developer community
We, the undersigned organizations representing civil society, nonprofit institutions, and technology companies, write to express our strong opposition to Google’s announced policy requiring all Android app developers to register centrally with Google themselves in order to distribute applications outside of the Google Play Store, set to take effect worldwide in the coming months.
While we do recognize the importance of platform security and user safety, the Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration. Forcibly injecting an alien security model that runs counter to Android’s historic open nature threatens innovation, competition, privacy, and user freedom. We urge Google to withdraw this policy and work with the open-source and security communities on less restrictive alternatives.
Our Concerns
1. Gatekeeping Beyond Google’s Own Store
Android has historically been characterized as an open platform where users and developers can operate independently of Google’s services. The proposed developer registration policy fundamentally alters that relationship by requiring developers who wish to distribute apps through alternative channels — their own websites, third-party app stores, enterprise distribution systems, or direct transfers — to first seek permission from Google through a mandatory verification process, which involves the agreement to Google’s terms and conditions, the payment of a fee, and the uploading of government-issued identification.
This extends Google’s gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role. Developers who choose not to use Google’s services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google. Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide also gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants to, for any reason, for the entire Android ecosystem.
2. Barriers to Entry and Innovation
Mandatory registration creates friction and barriers to entry, particularly for:
Individual developers and small teams with limited resources
Open-source projects that rely on volunteer contributors
Developers in regions with limited access to Google’s registration infrastructure
Privacy-focused developers who avoid surveillance ecosystems
Emergency response and humanitarian organizations requiring rapid deployment
Activists working on internet freedom in countries that unjustly criminalize that work
Developers in countries or regions where Google cannot allow them to sign up due to sanctions
Researchers and academics developing experimental applications
Internal enterprise and government applications never intended for broad public distribution
Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in the hands of large established players who can more easily absorb such compliance costs.
3. Privacy and Surveillance Concerns
Requiring registration with Google creates a comprehensive database of all Android developers, regardless of whether or not they use Google’s services. This raises serious questions about:
What personal information developers must provide
How this information will be stored, secured, and used
Whether this data could be subject to government requests or legal processes
keepandroidopen.org
An Open Letter to Google regarding Mandatory Developer Registration for Android App Distribution
Open Letter to Google Regarding Mandatory Developer Registration for Third-Party App Distribution
Google Deploys Gemini on Dark Web
Google has integrated #Gemini-based #AI agents into its dark web monitoring infrastructure, with the company claiming the system can analyze millions of daily events at 98 percent accuracy. The capability is positioned as an expansion of existing threat intelligence pipelines, applying large language model agents to data sources previously handled by conventional automated tools.
According to the Register report, the deployment scales dark web surveillance capacity without proportional increases in human analyst involvement. This follows a structural pattern across major platform operators: replacing or augmenting tier-one analyst functions with LLM-based triage at ingestion volume that manual workflows cannot sustain.
🛰️
@sitreports
#Google #DarkWeb #Tor #Surveillance
Google has integrated #Gemini-based #AI agents into its dark web monitoring infrastructure, with the company claiming the system can analyze millions of daily events at 98 percent accuracy. The capability is positioned as an expansion of existing threat intelligence pipelines, applying large language model agents to data sources previously handled by conventional automated tools.
According to the Register report, the deployment scales dark web surveillance capacity without proportional increases in human analyst involvement. This follows a structural pattern across major platform operators: replacing or augmenting tier-one analyst functions with LLM-based triage at ingestion volume that manual workflows cannot sustain.
🛰️
Open sources - closed narratives@sitreports
#Google #DarkWeb #Tor #Surveillance
Forwarded from 🇵🇸 Automated Apartheid in Palestine
🇵🇸🇮🇷The proliferation of AI-enabled military technology in the Middle East | ISS org
The genocide in #Gaza, #Palestine was described in the Israeli press as ‘the world’s first AI war’, integrating a number of new artificial intelligence (#AI) systems into military technologies, from new target-identification processes to enhanced weaponry. Since then, the integration of AI into military #technologies has progressed in leaps and bounds, with countries across the region seeking to make AI a part of their military architecture.
Much of this has involved partnerships with commercial entities, from Israeli start-ups to big-tech corporations including #Amazon, #Google and #Microsoft. As these entities have shown a tendency to circumvent their self-professed human-rights commitments and due-diligence obligations, greater regulation will be required to protect civilian lives and infrastructure during armed conflict
#Iran #Unit8200 #Amazon #Cisco
The genocide in #Gaza, #Palestine was described in the Israeli press as ‘the world’s first AI war’, integrating a number of new artificial intelligence (#AI) systems into military technologies, from new target-identification processes to enhanced weaponry. Since then, the integration of AI into military #technologies has progressed in leaps and bounds, with countries across the region seeking to make AI a part of their military architecture.
Much of this has involved partnerships with commercial entities, from Israeli start-ups to big-tech corporations including #Amazon, #Google and #Microsoft. As these entities have shown a tendency to circumvent their self-professed human-rights commitments and due-diligence obligations, greater regulation will be required to protect civilian lives and infrastructure during armed conflict
#Iran #Unit8200 #Amazon #Cisco
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Quiet part out loud and proud: zionist asset reveals cooperation with #Google to blacklist critics
US-Israel-Iran war | @geopolitics_prime
#why #bds
💬 "We will shine a light on you that, thanks to Google and SEO, will follow you for the rest of your life. When you look for a job, when you look for a spouse, when you look for a nanny - when you look for anything - our work will always be documented," Zionist influencer Liora Rez said in an address at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
US-Israel-Iran war | @geopolitics_prime
#why #bds
#Google, #Microsoft, #Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out
https://www.404media.co/google-microsoft-meta-all-tracking-you-even-when-you-opt-out-according-to-an-independent-audit/
https://globalprivacyaudit.org/2026/california
Comments
#why #stalking #surveillance
https://www.404media.co/google-microsoft-meta-all-tracking-you-even-when-you-opt-out-according-to-an-independent-audit/
https://globalprivacyaudit.org/2026/california
Comments
#why #stalking #surveillance
404 Media
Google, Microsoft, Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out, According to an Independent Audit
“This is the Strait of Hormuz in the data economy. If you want to make a change, this is where you cut it off. Anything short of that is theatrical political posture.”
#Google shoehorned #Rust into #Pixel 10 #modem to make legacy code safer, allegedly
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/google-shoehorned-rust-into-pixel-10-modem-to-make-legacy-code-safer/
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/google-shoehorned-rust-into-pixel-10-modem-to-make-legacy-code-safer/
Ars Technica
Google shoehorned Rust into Pixel 10 modem to make legacy code safer
Cellular modems are complex black boxes of legacy code, but Google is making them safer with Rust.
Google Starts Scanning All Your Photos As New Update Goes Live
Apr 20 2026
https://archive.ph/ConnO
Take a moment to think before you dive in. That’s the best advice for Google Photos users, as the company confirms its latest update can scan all your photos to “use actual images of you and your loved ones” in AI image generation. That means Gemini seeing who you know and what you do. You likely have tens or hundreds of thousands of photos. They’re all exposed if you update.
We’re talking Personal Intelligence, Google’s latest AI upgrade path which lets users opt-in to connecting Google apps to Gemini. Why search for a doctor’s appointment when Google has access to all your calendar events. Why search for a party invite when it reads all your emails. And why search for a specific photo of you and your loved ones to create an image, when it sees all your photos.
This is the latest iteration in the ongoing battle between convenience and privacy playing out on our phones and computers. “Previously, to get a result that felt truly personal, you had to write long, detailed descriptions and manually upload a reference photo just to give Gemini the right context.” Not any more, Google says. Its AI can scan everything to form its own views of you and everyone you know.
“Personal Intelligence gives Gemini an inherent understanding of your preferences from the start. By integrating this context directly with Nano Banana 2, Gemini can automatically fill in the blanks," Google says. “A lot of your most significant moments live in your Google Photos library. By connecting your Google Photos library to Personal Intelligence, Gemini goes a step further than just understanding your interests. It can use actual images of you and your loved ones.”
By its very nature, this goes right to the heart of your most private and intimate moments. “Now your inner circle can become the stars of your images, whether you want a result that feels pulled straight from your life or one that takes your imagination a bit further.” It’s undoubtedly innovative and exciting. But you must decide carefully before connecting your personal data to Google’s AI platform.
This is coming first to the U.S. before it rolls out everywhere else. Google assures that “bringing personal details into your images shouldn’t mean compromising on privacy, which is why our core commitments haven't changed. The Gemini app does not directly train its models on your private Google Photos library.”
But Google does say “we train on limited info, like specific prompts in Gemini and the model’s responses, to improve functionality over time.” That’s why “connecting your Google apps to Gemini remains an opt-in experience that you can adjust in your settings at any time.” It’s opt-in for a reason. Keep that in mind.
Google’s AI won’t always get this right, even if it is scrutinizing your life and your captured memories. “If the result isn’t quite right, you can simply tell Gemini what was incorrect and try again."
This AI update is undoubtedly powerful. ZDNet says “this powerful Gemini setting made my AI results way more personal and accurate. I enabled Personal Intelligence, connected my Google apps, and now Gemini guesses what I want without me saying it.” In other words, “Personal Intelligence essentially removes the need to repeatedly provide context, which is one of my biggest gripes with AI.”
And TechRadar says “The feature sets up a much more powerful way to teach Gemini about yourself. Traditional AI image generation depends heavily on how well you describe what you want. Here, description becomes secondary. The system is already working from a base layer of information.”
But that’s not really the point. Gizmodo sums it up pretty well as “solving a problem no one had.,” with #Google “making image generation a little creepier.”
(Continues)
#why
Apr 20 2026
https://archive.ph/ConnO
Take a moment to think before you dive in. That’s the best advice for Google Photos users, as the company confirms its latest update can scan all your photos to “use actual images of you and your loved ones” in AI image generation. That means Gemini seeing who you know and what you do. You likely have tens or hundreds of thousands of photos. They’re all exposed if you update.
We’re talking Personal Intelligence, Google’s latest AI upgrade path which lets users opt-in to connecting Google apps to Gemini. Why search for a doctor’s appointment when Google has access to all your calendar events. Why search for a party invite when it reads all your emails. And why search for a specific photo of you and your loved ones to create an image, when it sees all your photos.
This is the latest iteration in the ongoing battle between convenience and privacy playing out on our phones and computers. “Previously, to get a result that felt truly personal, you had to write long, detailed descriptions and manually upload a reference photo just to give Gemini the right context.” Not any more, Google says. Its AI can scan everything to form its own views of you and everyone you know.
“Personal Intelligence gives Gemini an inherent understanding of your preferences from the start. By integrating this context directly with Nano Banana 2, Gemini can automatically fill in the blanks," Google says. “A lot of your most significant moments live in your Google Photos library. By connecting your Google Photos library to Personal Intelligence, Gemini goes a step further than just understanding your interests. It can use actual images of you and your loved ones.”
By its very nature, this goes right to the heart of your most private and intimate moments. “Now your inner circle can become the stars of your images, whether you want a result that feels pulled straight from your life or one that takes your imagination a bit further.” It’s undoubtedly innovative and exciting. But you must decide carefully before connecting your personal data to Google’s AI platform.
This is coming first to the U.S. before it rolls out everywhere else. Google assures that “bringing personal details into your images shouldn’t mean compromising on privacy, which is why our core commitments haven't changed. The Gemini app does not directly train its models on your private Google Photos library.”
But Google does say “we train on limited info, like specific prompts in Gemini and the model’s responses, to improve functionality over time.” That’s why “connecting your Google apps to Gemini remains an opt-in experience that you can adjust in your settings at any time.” It’s opt-in for a reason. Keep that in mind.
Google’s AI won’t always get this right, even if it is scrutinizing your life and your captured memories. “If the result isn’t quite right, you can simply tell Gemini what was incorrect and try again."
This AI update is undoubtedly powerful. ZDNet says “this powerful Gemini setting made my AI results way more personal and accurate. I enabled Personal Intelligence, connected my Google apps, and now Gemini guesses what I want without me saying it.” In other words, “Personal Intelligence essentially removes the need to repeatedly provide context, which is one of my biggest gripes with AI.”
And TechRadar says “The feature sets up a much more powerful way to teach Gemini about yourself. Traditional AI image generation depends heavily on how well you describe what you want. Here, description becomes secondary. The system is already working from a base layer of information.”
But that’s not really the point. Gizmodo sums it up pretty well as “solving a problem no one had.,” with #Google “making image generation a little creepier.”
(Continues)
#why
archive.ph
Google Starts Scanning All Your Photos As New Update Goes Live
archived 20 Apr 2026 07:20:58 UTC
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Previous Disney and CIA cartoons were not any better
#yt #YouTube #Google #programming #indoctrination #why #children
#yt #YouTube #Google #programming #indoctrination #why #children
Media is too big
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Elon Musk's #Starlink Satellite Internet is a rebranded version of #Google's Project Loon.
#satelloons
#satelloons
U.S. government wants #Google to share data on unidentified Canadian Trump critic
A Canadian Trump critic has launched a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from “unlawfully” obtaining his personal information from Google.
The Canadian citizen, who uses an online pseudonym to protect his privacy, regularly goes on social media sites like X to share strongly-worded criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.
After he posted about the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents during immigration crackdowns in Minneapolis, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allegedly issued an administrative subpoena to Google in February demanding detailed personal information about the unidentified plaintiff, including his name, address, location data, and credit card and bank account numbers.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/us-government-wants-google-to-share-data-on-unidentified-canadian-trump-critic/
@slashbizchanne
#why
A Canadian Trump critic has launched a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from “unlawfully” obtaining his personal information from Google.
The Canadian citizen, who uses an online pseudonym to protect his privacy, regularly goes on social media sites like X to share strongly-worded criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.
After he posted about the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents during immigration crackdowns in Minneapolis, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allegedly issued an administrative subpoena to Google in February demanding detailed personal information about the unidentified plaintiff, including his name, address, location data, and credit card and bank account numbers.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/us-government-wants-google-to-share-data-on-unidentified-canadian-trump-critic/
@slashbizchanne
#why
CTVNews
U.S. government wants Google to share data on unidentified Canadian Trump critic
An unnamed Canadian Trump critic has launched a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from ‘unlawfully’ obtaining his personal information from Google.
#Google Broke reCAPTCHA for De-Googled Android Users
https://ift.tt/LYHTn4V - FOLLOW: @reclaimthenet
#why
https://ift.tt/LYHTn4V - FOLLOW: @reclaimthenet
#why
Reclaim The Net
Google Broke reCAPTCHA for De-Googled Android Users
The company that decides whether you're a bot now also requires you run its software to prove otherwise.
NoGoolag
#Google Broke reCAPTCHA for De-Googled Android Users https://ift.tt/LYHTn4V - FOLLOW: @reclaimthenet #why
#Google Cloud Fraud Defence is just WEI repackaged
https://privatecaptcha.com/blog/google-cloud-fraud-defence-wei/
https://privatecaptcha.com/blog/google-cloud-fraud-defence-wei/
Private Captcha
Google Cloud Fraud Defence is just WEI repackaged
In May 2026, Google announced “Google Cloud Fraud Defense - the next evolution of reCAPTCHA.” The announcement described a QR code challenge where users scan a
#Google’s #AluminiumOS in a 16-minute video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXmFIfv_tIA
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-aluminium-os-leak-3665979/
@mysticleaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXmFIfv_tIA
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-aluminium-os-leak-3665979/
@mysticleaks
YouTube
AluminiumOS on Mac (MysticLeaks)
Aluminium OS (based on Android 17) running via UTM on a MacBook Pro M4 Pro 👀
Telegram: t.me/mysticleaks
Credits to:
github.com/jqssun/android-lineage-qemu
Telegram: t.me/mysticleaks
Credits to:
github.com/jqssun/android-lineage-qemu
What if your Android phone secretly kept a tamper-proof forensic log that even advanced spyware can’t delete?
#Google just made "Intrusion Logging"
🔸 Opt-in, 12-month encrypted records designed for #journalists & activists.
🔸 Enable: Settings → Security & privacy → Advanced Protection → Intrusion Logging
🔸 Rolling out with Android 16 (December update)
Full story: https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/android-adds-intrusion-logging-for.html
#inqtel #cia #nsa #cloud
#Google just made "Intrusion Logging"
🔸 Opt-in, 12-month encrypted records designed for #journalists & activists.
🔸 Enable: Settings → Security & privacy → Advanced Protection → Intrusion Logging
🔸 Rolling out with Android 16 (December update)
Full story: https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/android-adds-intrusion-logging-for.html
#inqtel #cia #nsa #cloud
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Former #Google CEO #Eric #Schimdt was booed at by students for his comments surrounding #AI during his commencement speech at the University of Arizona's commencement on Friday.
@inmagnaexcitatio
@inmagnaexcitatio
Don't Sign in with #Google
https://fixupx.com/the_smart_ape/status/2055941633179283523
https://xcancel.com/the_smart_ape/status/2055941633179283523
Comments
#why
https://fixupx.com/the_smart_ape/status/2055941633179283523
https://xcancel.com/the_smart_ape/status/2055941633179283523
Comments
#why
📰 Article • FixupX
don't sign in with google
my friend recently lost a three-year saas. he got an email from google: "your account has been suspended for violation of our policies." no detail. no reference number. no human attached. eight
#Google and #Blackstone to create an #AI cloud company, using Google’s specialized chips, with $5 billion in equity capital from Blackstone.
Read here: https://www.disclose.tv/id/suykldcnee/
@disclosetv
#why #blackrock #surveillance
Read here: https://www.disclose.tv/id/suykldcnee/
@disclosetv
#why #blackrock #surveillance
Disclose.tv
Google and Blackstone to create new $5B AI cloud company
Breaking news from around the world.
Media is too big
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#Google #Maps Helping RIG The CA Gov Primary For Democrats! w/ Elaine Culotti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=386WWkEmWFw
#why #ot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=386WWkEmWFw
#why #ot
#Google’s life sciences arm, through its Debug Project, has filed for EPA approval to release millions of lab-bred male #mosquitoes.
#why #safe #effective #ot
#why #safe #effective #ot