@cy8aer @fdroidorg @marcprux please reach out to them, we're all in this fight together to keep Android open, including the AOSP source code, device trees, etc. Google is grabbing all the power it can these days, given all the anti-trust enforcement against them these days. The competition lawyers are in charge there now.
@Alonely0 @cy8aer @fdroidorg @marcprux Since you brought up the signature model, Google Play requires devs keep the signing keys with them, F-Droid just offers it as an option. F-Droid offers using only the upstream signature if the app is reproducible. https://f-droid.org/docs/Reproducible_Builds/#publishing-apks-with-the-upstream-developers-signature
Also, how the APK signing keys are managed has nothing to do with Android Developer Verification or Keep Android Open.
@KeefJudge @neil It is important to remember that Epic Games is a corporation focused on maximizing profit, not free software or user freedom. Also, Epic v. Google is a lawsuit between two private parties. Epic and Google are working on a business deal right now, this is highly likely to undermine any potential benefits that lawsuit could have for the rest of us. To the point: that lawsuit is useful but not enough.
@Charlie_House @neil Google's Android Developer Verification gives them the possibility to prevent any app from running on all Android devices, no matter the source. That is why there is this campaign. Even if you get the app from F-Droid, Aurora, etc. etc. Google would still be able to prevent it from running
@Thales_Curiosities @neil This is a small volunteer effort so far, we need help to make it a success. Get involved! Could you set up this email that you are thinking about?
📣 Großartige News:
Die re:publica kommt nach Wien! 🇦🇹
Wir freuen uns riesig auf den Austausch zu digitaler Demokratie, Grundrechten & Netzpolitik – und darauf, zivilgesellschaftliche Perspektiven einzubringen. Wir sind seit vielen Jahren auf der re:publica in Berlin vertreten. Wien kann sehr von dieser Veranstaltung profitieren. CFP startet in Mai. #rp26
@glynmoody I knew that one day governments would see that jailbreaking should be a right. It is finally happening, but not in the way I expected it.
You can jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone, says Dutch defense chief - https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/18/jailbreak_an_f35/ now do trident submarines...
People should be able to write software for Android, and distribute it outside Google's Play store, without having to:
* pay Google
* give government to with Google
* agree to Google terms and conditions
People should be able to install the software they want on their phone, from sources other than Google's Play store, without having to jump through Google-imposed hoops.
e.g. via F-Droid.
We've got until September this year to stop Google squeezing the open Android ecosystem.
@jalefkowit Nice example! Also, for those who don't know it, there were luxury spas built around the natural springs in Bad Gastein around the idea that people should bath in the radioactive waters. By the 90s, it was a ghost town since almost no one believed that radon was healthy any more.
@ottok Nice to see some discussion about this, as a fellow DD. I would love to see the Debian way integrated into salsa.debian.org a lot more, e.g. use GitLab as the back end while maintaining a lot of the same interfaces, e.g. email interactions with bugs.debian.org. There has already been good work on improving the salsa/gbp workflow. DEP-18 sounds good too.
In @fdroidorg we actually fetch upstream source code using Git, then packaging in maintained in our GitLab.
@ottok @ubuntu I totally agree that people should pay for Free Software. I think the Debian LTS model is one good example, but it only covers specific cases. I worry that Ubuntu Pro's model will move security support to a paid model, which would harm the ecosystem since non-paying users would not get security support.
I had an interesting discussion about software supply-chain security with @joshbressers in the Open Source Security podcast last week: https://opensourcesecurity.io/2025/2025-11-xz-debian-otto/
The #FDroid website has a new banner on top to remind visitors that #Google did not change course and #Android will be locked-down in under 200 days.
If you care about the freedom to control your devices and care about the privacy of you data, please contact your representative and make your voice heard.
https://keepandroidopen.org/ (thanks @marcprux) has the resources to guide you.
We know users will rarely visit the site so the Client(s) will get a banner soon too.
Thank you for your support!
AI slop is so useful and desirable that Google and Microsoft have to spend shit ton of money to have "influencers" shill for it:
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creators-500000-and-more-to-promote-ai.html
Remember when "influencers" were shilling for NFTs? That was fun and ended well for everyone involved, proving NFTs are actually useful. 🤡
@rewildingmag interesting idea. I'd love to see warmer city lights in general. Would it work if we just started reducing city lighting to reasonable levels instead of what we have now around the world: the endless increase with more and more added every year?
"The initiative targets light pollution and seeks to reduce disruptions to nocturnal species, particularly bats, which are sensitive to urban light."
@webmink I sent you a message on Signal, thanks for the offer!
If the project you work on is based on a standard or specification external to the project or should be a standard in your opinion, please complete the survey at the following link:
https://sovereigntechfund.limesurvey.net/999999
🗓 Deadline: 9 March 2026
Thank you for your time and for your contributions. 💜
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