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maxerickson parent
What's wrong with loading an alternate OS that isn't Play Protect certified?
buildfocus
Attestation & Play Integrity is having a good go at blocking this: lots of critical software (e.g. the app required to use your bank account) requires certified attested devices, and Google are pushing hard to get as many apps as possible to activate that for "security", making non-Google Android un fixably 2nd tier in functionality.
bsimpson
Doesn't GNU/Linux also have this problem with e.g. Netflix? If you don't pass their spyware, you get shitty streams from video apps and no access to financial accounts.
uz3snolc3t6fnrq
ironically, making linux users consider sailing the high seas for actual 4k rips instead of actually paying for the service just to get blocky low bitrate 720p content. so this piracy prevention not only creates more potential pirates, but makes paying customers' lives harder while not affecting the aforementioned pirates, who can now watch it at 4k on any device or program they wish
MrMember
My HTPC runs Linux and when I had Amazon Prime I tried to stream a live event and it wouldn't let me stream it at all. I don't have Prime anymore.
glenstein
>and Google are pushing hard to get as many apps as possible to activate that for "security"

I'd be interested in further reading on Google's outreach to big banks and major finance CO's ( or others) pushing for device attestation if you have any further reading.

gck1
And not just financial apps. Even TikTok, a platform which people around the world are using for various good activities that governments may not like, is using Play Integrity.
terminalbraid
Most vendors, including the big ones, don't play well with that. Google just revoked open sourcing the Pixel as the reference design which was the strongest option for that. Things like newer Samsungs are black boxes and everyone is actively making it harder to do anything with devices you bought and paid for.
sanex
Soon you won't be able to do this either because most manufacturers are locking down the bootloader.
kotaKat
And Google stopped providing device trees and driver binaries... and stopped releasing AOSP as often, and, and...
windward
You know, when you phrase it like that, it almost makes it sound like they're taking advantage of their market position to the detriment of consumers.
pabs3
That would mean they are committing copyright violation of the Linux kernel. So they could be sued by Linux kernel folks, or by users of the devices.

https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/vizio.html https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2021/mar/25/install-gplv2/ https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2021/jul/23/tivoization-and-t... https://events19.linuxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017...

jlokier
Locked bootloaders are probably not a GPLv2 violation, and probably are a GPLv3 violation. This type of situation was a major reason GPLv3 was created. Another was clarification of some grey areas (these are the reason for "probably").

But the Linux kernel is GPLv2, and only v2. For better or worse, locking down the bootloader is (probably) pernitted with the Linux kernel.

pabs3
The Sofware Freedom Conservancy are the main (or only?) enforcers of the GPL these days, and if you read their posts, you will see they disagree with you, GPLv2 requires the ability to modify and reinstall.
jlokier
Having read [1] in particular, I think you're right and I was mistaken. Thanks! That's quite eye-opening for me, as I followed discussion about GPLv2 and GPLv3 for years yet didn't know about this view of GPLv2 and reinstallation.

Having heard so much about anti-Tivoization when the GPLv3 was being drafted, and the discussions about it on linux-kernel when Linus decided the kernel will remain GPLv2-only, I was left with the impression that the GPLv2 only required the provision of source code, build scripts, etc. but not the ability to reinstall a new version. [1] makes a pretty good case that the ability to reinstall is also required GPLv2, and I'm heartened that's how Tivo saw it too.

[1] https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2021/jul/23/tivoization-and-t...

drpixie
It's increasingly difficult to get current hardware for which an alternative OS is available, and which is not locked.

Right now, it seems to be fairphone or pixel, or old phones which are not easy to obtain. Samsung have announced they will lock their phones, and how long before google locks pixels?

numpad0
The number of people able to do that is fewer than those willing to send in copies of overnment IDs. Phones compatible with AOSP builds are rare outside small bubbles of Pixel users as well.

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