[mhitza]

It was a catchy rethorical question. Desired emphasis on the fact that a smartphone is a computing device.

If you like to not be able to run whatever software you want on your computer, and the one your family owns, that's your thing.

Its another pretense, like disabling full disk encryption, where people came with these ideas (instead of other options), because its convenient to them to pretend its the right thing.

[rprend]

When systems scale you have to look at the effects in aggregate. Android is a tool used to manage billions of people’s finances. If you allow unreviewed apps, people get scammed by fake banking apps.

You might say people shouldn’t be so dumb, or that we should educate them, but the fact is that it happens. If you allow unreviewed apps, people get scammed at a higher rate. If you allow a backdoor, people get scammed at a higher rate. People still get scammed with app store review, but the difference between 1%, .9%, and .8% is millions of lives ruined.

I’m a hacker at heart and I like general purpose computers, but when a tool becomes essential, it can ruin lives. You have to consider your externalities. Otherwise you are a factory dumping pollution in the river.

This debate is an interesting collision between the well being of the general public versus a tiny, elite class (hackers) and their ideology.

[mhitza]

The elites are the rich fucks at the top literally dumping waste in everything. Let's get this straight first!

If we like to exaggerate, let's not allow people to leave their homes anymore. Should reduce crime by a bigger percent than the random numbers you throw out :))

Your argument feels like an excuse. Following stuff from KitBoga and Scammer Payback install random app on mobile doesn't seem the most prolific approach. Heck, in my country its still fake calls/sms/whatsapp messages that guide you to insert your credit card willy nilly. And it works.

Colission should be what happens between the pavement and the enlighted heads at Google that want to go ahead with this decision. Fucking Google where I, and other people in my country, repeatly reported phising ads (invest now 1000% return, with deepfakes) on youtube and they did nothing. That fucking Google that now pretends it does shit for the interest of the user.