So here's a tech nightmare nobody's talking about:

Google's rolling out their new developer verification rules for Android starting in September 2026. Every app then needs to be registered with Google, even if you're sideloading or using alternative app stores like Samsung's Galaxy Store. 📱

Sounds reasonable until you realise: Huawei can't comply because they're literally banned from doing business with Google under US sanctions.

So what happens to the millions of people using Huawei watches and fitness bands with their Samsung or other Android phones? Currently Huawei Health is installed via the Galaxy Store for people using these devices on Samsung phones. But this means the Huawei Health app gets blocked. Your fitness tracker stops working. All your data, all your workouts, all that expensive hardware, gone.

Probably also not just Huawei either. Any Chinese manufacturer under US sanctions could face the same problem. Google's created a collision between US geopolitical trade policy and their verification system that's going to break legitimate use cases for millions of users.

And Samsung? Total silence. They can't push back without risking their relationship with Google, so they're just staying quiet and hoping someone else fixes it. (EU maybe? 🤔🇪🇺)

Google keeps saying Android is "open" but they're asserting control over every single app installation on certified devices. The Galaxy Store doesn't give you any protection here either, Google's verification requirement applies there too.

We're about to find out what happens when geopolitics meets app distribution policies, and regular users are going to be the ones who suffer.

#Android #Google #Huawei #TechPolicy

🇪🇺 Europe’s new Platform Work Directive gives gig workers new rights to challenge surveillance, wage theft & algorithmic control ⚖️

EFF & unions warn rights must be enforced—bossware is growing fast 📈

Unions urged to build tech tools to fight back, like worker-made “counter apps” 🛠️

@eff

🔗 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/what-europes-new-gig-work-law-means-unions-and-technology

#TechNews #GigWork #WorkersRights #Privacy #AI #Surveillance #AlgorithmicBias #Labor #Unions #DigitalRights #Bossware #PlatformWork #TechPolicy #DataRights #FairWork

🇬🇧 UK govt demands access to British Apple users' data, reigniting its privacy dispute with Apple 🔐

Apple pulled Advanced Data Protection from UK iCloud, calling the move "gravely disappointing" ⚠️

Critics warn secret orders threaten global security 🕵️

🧑‍⚖️ Legal hearing set for Jan 2026

🔗 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c740r0m4mzjo

#TechNews #Privacy #Apple #UK #DataRights #Encryption #CyberSecurity #Surveillance #CivilLiberties #HumanRights #TechPolicy #iCloud #DataProtection #EndToEndEncryption #Security

Great panel discussion with @resieguen @rstockm @abaratsits
@vgrass
& @Silbendrechsler at Alex-berlin.de

Hopefully the video will be shared on the #Fediverse as well as the (translated) contents would be very interesting for more people & media organisations including those in The Netherlands.

Would this be possible @berlinfediday? Perhaps @displayeurope PeerTube with automagically translations?

#BerlinFediDay #FediDay #Bigtech #Tech #TechPolicy

Well, well, well. California just handed Uber and Lyft drivers the keys to unionizing as independent contractors. I guess "disrupting" industries also means disrupting the old "independent contractor" narrative.

What's next, a mandated 15-minute coffee break for algorithms? How do you think this will reshape the gig economy?

#TechPolicy #GigEconomy #UnionStrong #California #Rideshare
https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/04/newsom-signs-bill-giving-uber-and-lyft-drivers-in-california-the-right-to-unionize/

First the price hike, now Microsoft quietly yanks DLC discounts for Xbox Game Pass members, swapping them for measly Rewards points.

Is this really "unmatched value" from a service that just raised prices to $30/month? Gamers, are you feeling the love or the squeeze?

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-sneakily-drops-dlc-discounts-that-come-with-xbox-game-pass-160512977.html?src=rss
#XboxGamePass #GamingNews #Microsoft #SubscriptionService #TechPolicy

The EU is considering a bloc-wide minimum age for social media 📱

Von der Leyen backs a “digital majority” age for child safety 👶
But legal experts say only national governments can set age limits ⚖️
GDPR & DSA offer some tools, but no legal path for a full ban 🚫

Critics warn it could infringe on children’s rights 🧒

🔗 https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-age-limit-social-media-laywers-ursula-von-der-leyen-commission/

#TechNews #EU #SocialMedia #Privacy #ChildSafety #DigitalRights #Policy #Law #Europe #GDPR #FreeSpeech #OnlineSafety #TechPolicy #KidsOnline #Regulation

Apple đã gỡ bỏ các ứng dụng theo dõi ICE sau áp lực từ chính phủ Mỹ. Sự kiện này gây tranh cãi về quyền riêng tư và giám sát. #Apple #ICE #Rights #Privacy #Technology #AppleNews #ICEtracking #PrivacyRights #TechNews #AppleUpdates #TrumpAdministration #TechPolicy #DigitalRights #ApplePolicy #ICEapps #PrivacyConcerns #TechEthics

https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/comments/1nx25eu/apple_removes_ice_tracking_apps_after_pressure_by/