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Alas, no distinction is made between (a) a computer owner that wants to write software to run on their computer versus (b) an "app developer" who wants to write "mobile apps" and distribute them to others for financial gain

The computer owner in (a) is not creating "malware". Any arguments that "verification" is for the protection of users (not commercial benefit of Google) are inapplicable in (a). Unlike the software in (b) the software in (a) only runs on the computer owner's computer, not anyone else's computer. There is no need in the case of (a) for Google to know about what software is running on the computer owner's computer.^1 Surely Google would agree there is no need, i.e., no right, for a computer owner seeking "verification" to know what software is running on Google's computers or the identities of Google employees.

1. None that outweighs the owner's right to privacy. Microsoft, Apple and Google all use _default_ telemetry

https://gist.github.com/alirobe/7f3b34ad89a159e6daa1

https://github.com/cedws/apple-telemetry

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/437068/eliminating...

https://therecord.media/google-collects-20-times-more-teleme...



"Alas, no distinction is made between (a) a computer owner that wants to write software to run on their computer versus (b) an "app developer" who wants to write "mobile apps" and distribute then to others for financial gain."

I could be wrong:

https://developer.android.com/developer-verification

"For student and hobbyist developers

We're committed to keeping Android an open platform for you to learn, experiment, and build for fun. We recognize that your needs are different from commercial developers, so we're working on a separate type of Android Developer Console account for you. We'll share more information in the coming months."

Will "verification" also be required for "hobbyists", otherwise known as computer owners, or "ad targets" in Google's framing of the www. Who knows

Putting restrictions on distributing bad software ("malware") to others is one thing. It makes sense, But putting restrictions on computer owners ("hobbyists") who write, compile and run software on their own computers is another thing entirely




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