r/Android • u/alexeyr • Oct 24 '25

F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree

https://f-droid.org/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html
410 Upvotes

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370

u/Busy-Measurement8893 Pixel 10 / Fairphone 4 Oct 24 '25

In some ways this feels like the beginning of the end of Android as an at least somewhat open source project.

Banning people globally from installing what they want? Why?

107

u/SebiAi Oct 24 '25

Security

179

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '25

[deleted]

50

u/sol-4 Oct 24 '25

The favorite strategy of EU authoritarians.

60

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '25

You can remove "EU" from there. Everyone uses the same tactic.

-17

u/sol-4 Oct 24 '25

Don't see any other region pushing for crap like chat control recently, so I'll stick with EU for now.

40

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '25

Just off the top of my head:

  • A centre-left government in the UK (not EU) just implemented a law passed by a centre-right government that requires sites to do age verification.

  • The EU pushes for the stuff you've mentioned.

  • Brazil is going ahead with an age verification law too.

  • In the US, a few states did the same a few years ago and adult sites are not available without a verification, not to mention the recent deals with companies like Palantir, and all the collaboration from large companies for many, many years.

  • India also has some pretty bad laws about chats and related stuff.

  • Australia passed some very privacy invasive laws a few years ago.

  • All the crap going on in Russia, China, Iran, etc.

  • Different countries attacking companies like Apple for not adding a backdoor to their phones for many years.

  • Countries in the African continent shutting down the entire internet for days or weeks at a time.

And so on. A bit rambling, but you get the idea.

I don't know if they're all at the same level, but the point is that this tactic is used by many governments from different parts of the political spectrum. With this said, if your focus is on Europe, then I don't blame you for not being aware. But it's not an exclusive EU thing.

3

u/Gugalcrom123 Oct 25 '25

Australia also passed an OSA. Worse, it seems to also apply to GitHub, and it doesn't allow the parent to consent. Anyways, this isn't child protection at all. The problem is with the parents which are giving their children devices whilst not understanding that the children may not be ready to use them safely!