Guardian Project @guardianproject@librem.one

We've hinted before how the #EU #DMA discussions take place, anyone can see them on video from home, but it's a different thing to be able to roam there.

#FDroid's @eighthave was on the floor and brings us the lowdown.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll say "lawyers!!!", but don't turn your eyes away, this is how the sausage is made, raw, straight from the pipe: https://f-droid.org/2025/09/18/ec-dma-compliance-workshops.html

Don't forget to submit the DMA form! 😄

/PS: Yes, the subtitles grow as you read, we're making a point here!

Android Developer Verification means any developer or organization that wants to publish a mobile app now has to comply with either #Apple's or #Google's Terms of Service. That means two US companies now have a say in the apps that our governments make for their citizens, around the world.

#Android #developer #AndroidDeveloperVerification
#gatekeeper #DigitalRights #DigitalSovereignity

Android published new APIs that seem to confirm that your phone will phone home when you install apps. It will refuse installation when you are offline or developer got blocked by Google:
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/PackageInstaller#DEVELOPER_VERIFICATION_FAILED_REASON_NETWORK_UNAVAILABLE

Fox has been named Head of the Hen House in #Ireland.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/09/17/ex-tech-lobbyist-named-to-data-protection-commission/

#DataProtection #privacy #GDPR #Meta #lobbying #facebook #RevolvingDoor cc @lobbyctrl_tech @corporateeurope

Learn how ICE is getting data from our phones, license plates, even tax data, and why we have to work together to protect our communities, from KQED News and EFF's @cooperq:
https://www.kqed.org/news/12055606/how-ice-is-using-your-data-and-what-you-can-do-about-it

Part three of our legal series is live, and stuff becomes serious.

We spoke with a range of legal experts, software freedom advocates, and maintainers of mature FOSS infrastructure to understand how others manage legal take-down requests.

Free ten minutes for: https://f-droid.org/2025/09/10/how-foss-projects-handle-legal-takedown-requests.html

It seems that together with civil society and politicians who actually care, this time we managed to prevent #chatcontrol again, luckily. Can we please not have to do that anymore?

@suka_hiroaki @epicenter_works @xot @bpreneel @carmelatroncoso @cascremers @tho

We (over 50 scientists) have put (yet another) open letter to the EU commission online, detailing while we do not believe anything has changed in the recent iteration of #chatcontrol proposals that would make it any less unsafe: https://csa-scientist-open-letter.org/Sep2025

Please boost. Next week there will be (another) decision!

CC @signalapp @suka_hiroaki @epicenter_works @xot @bpreneel @carmelatroncoso @cascremers @tho

Worried about the future of installing your own software on your Android device? @conservancy is hosting a Q&A to update you about sideloading software as well as other tips about how to ensure your phone runs the software you want, without any artificial restrictions. Join us on BigBlueButton this Friday September 5th at 15:00 UTC (08:00 US/Pacific, 11:00 US/Eastern, 17:00 CEST)

https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2025/sep/3/sfc-qa-on-how-to-keep-your-sideloading/

Element users on the default http://matrix.org homeserver are currently impacted by a serious database outage (https://mastodon.matrix.org/@matrix/115136245785561439)which will take at least 12 hours to recover - many apologies to everyone impacted. Users on their own deployments are of course unaffected.

Thank you @grote for sharing this.

In addition to telling #Google that locking down #Android is bad, I'd also recommend every app developer to write to the @EUCommission's #DMA enforcement team and tell them that this practically circumvents Article 6(4) of the #DigitalMarketsAct, which was supposed to *enable* 3rd party app (stores).

The EC is discussing the same question with #Apple atm and they have to understand what happens if they let this happen.

Contact form:
https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/contact-dma-team_en

Alas, it is time for more uncomfortable questions, in this case regarding the announced Android developer verification program: https://commonsware.com/blog/2025/08/26/uncomfortable-questions-android-developer-verification.html #AndroidDev

Let's carry on our legal series, in part two we will discuss jurisdiction, legal entities and liability in #FLOSS #FOSS.

Ever wondered “What laws apply to #FDroid ?" We had to...

Just 12 minutes of your time: https://f-droid.org/2025/08/20/legat-two.html

(And yes, that typo in the URL will stay there forever 🙄)

A really great post on about how governments should be funding the free open source software that our governments and societies rely on.

https://dri.es/funding-open-source-like-public-infrastructure

#FOSS #FreeSoftware #funding #government #sustainability #DigitalSovereignity #EU #SovereignTechFund

Want to fight for Palestinian #digitalrights? There is a super interesting job vacancy for #policy #advocacy folks at @7amleh :

https://7amleh.org/post/vacancy:-advocacy-department-manager

#Palestine #humanrights #FediJobs #jobs #MastoJobs #NGOjobs

@fdroidorg We have to put a lot of trust in a couple of systems: the signing server and the production buildserver. That is why they are not easy to upgrade. That provides key benefits down the line, like knowing that the client app will always receive uncompromised files, no matter where it downloads the files from (e.g. verification via the signed index). Thanks for your patience while we work in getting new hardware into our trusted #secure #maintenance setup. 1/2

Oh dear, the Belgian government's #cybersecurity centre manages to write an entire page about the #EndOf10 without mentioning any other operating system than #Microsoft #Windows. Instead of telling people they might want switch to e.g. #Linux, they suggest to:

* pay Microsoft for #ESU, or
* buy a new computer. 😤

https://safeonweb.be/fr/actualite/windows-10-cessera-bientot-ses-mises-jour-comment-rester-en-securite-sur-internet

Journalist Discovers Google Vulnerability That Allowed People to Disappear Specific Pages From Search

🔗https://www.404media.co/journalist-discovers-google-vulnerability-that-allowed-people-to-disappear-specific-pages-from-search/

Europe has a unicorn obsession, and frankly it needs to stop. 🦄

The EU is pouring €43 billion through the CHIPS act into creating "European champions," but we're missing the bigger picture: why are we treating essential tech infrastructure as private property instead of public commons?

We need a different approach. One that serves public benefit over private extraction. Read my thoughts here: https://tarakiyee.com/the-hardware-innovation-monopoly-problem-why-europe-should-stop-chasing-unicorns/

#OpenHardware #TechPolicy #DigitalSovereignty #PublicInterestTech