Your Smartphone, Their Rules: App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship
3 days ago
- #Censorship
- #Digital Rights
- #App Stores
- Smartphone app stores (Apple's AppStore and Google's Play Store) control app availability, shaping user experiences and communications.
- Government requests lead to app removals, as seen with ICEBlock and Red Dot, raising censorship concerns.
- Apple's iOS restricts apps to those approved by the AppStore, enabling potential abuse and censorship.
- Google's Android traditionally allowed sideloading, but upcoming changes may restrict app installations to 'verified developers' only.
- Both Apple and Google claim app store controls improve security, but they also permit apps with surveillance and data-selling practices.
- Alternative app stores like F-Droid and Accrescent offer privacy-focused and open-source app options without surveillance.
- Regulatory interventions, such as the EU's Digital Markets Act, can mandate sideloading and break monopolistic control over app distribution.
- User choice, open standards, and regulatory actions are needed to resist centralized control and ensure device autonomy.