Hans-Christoph Steiner @eighthave@librem.one
Joined Aug 2019
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
The biggest issue: #notarization. Every app must pass Apple's automatic and human review before it can run on iOS, even when distributed outside the App Store, via an alternative marketplace or a website.
No channel escapes Apple's gatekeeping.
Once notarized, Apple encrypts the binary. Nobody can run, inspect, or share that software freely. This makes it impossible to distribute #FreeSoftware apps, as the freedoms cannot be guaranteed.
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
#Apple has announced new terms for alternative app distribution in the EU (18 August 2026). The reduction of fees is welcome, but the core problems for smaller developers and #FreeSoftware remain there.
🧵A thread on why we're still concerned about #DMA compliance.🧵
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
The #DigitalCommons #EDIC is forming an advisory board and is looking for experts to join it.
Nominations are due Sept 7th!
https://digital-commons-edic.eu/news/2026-07-01-advisory-board-call-for-experts/
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
@fedops @ParadeGrotesque I hadn't heard about the French gov mandating Linux workstations for all their Ministries, that's great news!
The Dutch, French and German workspace teams were already working together on a Linux OS within the EDIC's 100 day challenges, but I don't think a choice for a distro has been made yet. 🇪🇺
I'm super impressed with how proactive the French are. Good work @numerique_gouv 👏
A practical way to break #Android #hardware #attestation https://blog.quarkslab.com/bypassing-android-hardware-attestation.html
The "trusted device" debate reminds me of the late 90s debate whether its possible to #trust the #network. Its now clear that good security requires not trusting the network.
From where I sit, the "trusted device" debate is the same. Big companies are lazy and pretend the device can be trusted while companies pushing #DRM and other anti-democratic, anti-user functionality want #finance and #government as allies
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
‼️⚖️ The #US Supreme Court has declared all independent authorities unconsitutional – effectively blowing up the EU-US deal on data transfers.
👉Click the link below for noyb's full assessment of the situation, and prepare for a #Schrems III case!
🔗 https://noyb.eu/en/us-supreme-court-just-blew-eu-us-data-transfers
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
Your mobile data shouldn't crawl just because you crossed the border.
Under our ‘roam like at home', operators in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway cannot ‘throttle’ your speed abroad.
If 5G is available in the country you are visiting, you must have access to it at the same quality as at home.
Since January 2026, Ukraine and Moldova have also joined the EU’s ‘roam like at home area.’
Because your connection should be as smooth as your travel plans. 😎
"Should we #OpenSource something that has the ability to kill humanity?"
That is the wrong question, akin to saying: "Should we allow the most powerful #tech to be democratically controlled?". Humans have invented means to #kill #humanity before: #nuclear and biological weapons, and they were used. They are so horrific, basically all countries work to ban them. If #AI leaders believe it also has this power, shouldn't they also be working on non-proliferation?
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
JBS, see you in court!
Greenpeace Netherlands is taking the world’s biggest meat company to court to force them to hand over information about their secretive business policies and hold their billionaire owners accountable.
Let’s fight back against unchecked corporate power.
Not on our watch.
Sign the People vs Big Ag petition https://act.gp/4wgFMVP
Hans-Christoph Steiner
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Want to know more? Read our latest explainer on why ePrivacy matters, why cookie banners are only part of the story, and how we can move beyond today’s broken system ➡️ https://edri.org/our-work/cookies-and-consent-why-eprivacy-matters-for-our-browsing-life/
Hans-Christoph Steiner
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In a major victory for digital rights and common sense, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has officially categorized Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as "lawful technical tools" while establishing new boundaries for online copyright disputes.
The landmark judgment — handed down in July 2026 — stems from a complex legal battle over the online publication of Anne Frank's historical manuscripts. At its core, the case forced Europe's top judges to answer a highly technical question: if a publisher actively tries to block visitors from a specific country, are they still breaking the law if a user sneaks past the digital border using circumvention software?
According to the CJEU, the answer is no. As long as a website employs "state-of-the-art" geo-blocking technology, the publisher cannot be held liable for copyright infringement simply because a determined reader decides to fire up the best VPN to bypass the restrictions.
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
When I started building with React Native and Expo, it became much harder to write the recipe to be available on #FDroid.
#CastLab was my first one, with the help of maintainers. The last build of #HolosSocial failed (it happens with Expo upgrades). An F-Droid maintainer warned me first on my repo. Before I could act, they made the changes to the recipe so new builds were possible, and silently closed the issue.
Just a thank you to the #FDroid team, they help users and devs alike!
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
Today, July 18 (3:00–5:00 p.m.), we continue our four-part series on the topic:
“Digital Neocolonialism: Data, Resources, Dependencies—Who Benefits?”
This time: Content Moderation at Scale—How Labor Extractivism Powers Platform Models. With SANA AHMAD (https://social.bund.de/@Weizenbaum_Institut)
Event in English more information: https://www.topio.info/digitaler_neokolonialismus.html#3
#ContentModeration #DigitalNeocolonialism #berlin #moabit #mitte
@rene_mobile @marcprux @fdroidorg @GrapheneOS @lehtimaeki @ottok @grote
You are all people who have specifically thought about this kind of stuff in relation to software distribution, what do you think?
Hans-Christoph Steiner
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The FSFE turned 25 this year!! Hurrah for a quarter century promoting and defending #SoftwareFreedom 🙌
Check out our timeline with our key achievements since 2001: https://fsfe.org/about/timeline/
At the core of #AndroidDeveloperVerification are a couple potentially useful ideas. #Google has entirely wrapped them in a pile of anti-competitive garbage designed to defend their massive #monopoly profit margins, but nonetheless, those specific technical ideas might still be useful. #iOS's "notarization" is basically the same. That leads me to ask the key question:
What would a #FOSS-respecting system of #verification look like? What #identity info is useful for trusting the #developer?
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
#FDroid and Basic client 2.0-alpha11 are live:
* More translations
* Donations icons
* Nearby fixes
* More categories
* Dynamic color icon contrast
* System apps fixes
* More Chinese distros fixes
And, the most requested feature ever, "Check for updates", that you'll discover by yourself.🙄
So, that's it, go ahead, update now!
The clock has now started for the final stable release, stay tune.
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
European digital ID wallets to be used to access services does the exact opposite of breaking the big tech monopoly and advancing European sovereignty.
"Users who want the autonomy to use operating systems without pre-installed Google software ... are forced to use Google software, if they want to use the wallet," says Danny Lämmerhirt, Senior researcher at Waag Futurelab.
If this isn't monopolisation, then what is?
Read more and learn what you can do:
https://waag.org/en/article/european-digital-id-wallets-are-gift-google-and-apple/
Finally, it looks like there might actually be some tiny measure of #accountability for the pushers of #AddictiveDesign. #BigTech and universities like #Stanford knowingly created #design techniques with the publicly stated goal of making #software #addictive. It worked
I can only hope that the #EU will keep pushing based on the #DigitalServicesAct and follow through. At least there is the tempting possibility of a fine of 6% of revenue that should keep them interested
Hans-Christoph Steiner
boosted
RE: https://mastodon.social/@chatcontrol/116890892112806689
Chat Control 1.0 is extended. Via undemocratic procedural tricks plotted by the @EPPGroup, the national government, and most probably also the @EUCommission. The question is: What’s next?
Not only in terms of data protection but in terms of how do we defend democracy. And if you want to say *xit, then you can easily spare us this answer, especially given that this was national governments’ agenda in the first place.
Joined Aug 2019
