Android and Google

[p12]

This is actually related to politics.

Does Google have any ownership in Android?

Apple is threatening to ban the Parler app.

[makattak]

This is actually related to politics.

Does Google have any ownership in Android?

Apple is threatening to ban the Parler app.

And google already banned it.

[p12]

Been many moons since I used android.

Can’t apps be downloaded outside from the play store?

[Ben]

And google already banned it.

Holy crap.

While Android is open source and you can set your phone up without the googles, where do you go for apps? Are there any depositories of apps that have any kind of a decent catalog, and that are easy enough for an average Android user to get? For that matter, rooting a phone is not something a lot of people  (like your grandma) are comfortable doing.

Again, this is outrageous. Because so many people have come to rely on not only these social media platforms, but the underlying OS platforms, this is really akin to Verizon deciding what numbers you can and can't call from your phone.

And I bet because of DC, all the Republican reps that were screaming about section 230 and having hearings and everything are now going to forget all about it.

Seriously, I think we are already in the middle of a backdoor takeover of the United States. I sit here and realize that in the matter of a week I have gone from tinfoil theories to watching it actually happen.

[bedlamite]

Can’t apps be downloaded outside from the play store?

Yes. The APK file can be downloaded and installed locally on your phone.

https://www.apkfiles.com/
https://www.apkmirror.com/

links worth looking at:

https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/06/09/install-use-custom-rom-no-google-apps/
https://nolanlawson.com/2019/06/13/how-to-de-google-your-android-phone/

[AZRedhawk44]

This is actually related to politics.

Does Google have any ownership in Android?

Apple is threatening to ban the Parler app.

Yes, Google developed Android.  Android is a "free" OS because the user of the OS becomes a marketing product for Google to sell.

You can "side load" an app by searching for its APK package and downloading it.  You have to go into your phone's settings in order to allow package installation from sources other than Google Play Store, but it doesn't require rooting to do it.

[Ben]

Anyone know anything about the "reintroduced" Blackberries? I guess they are Android now, but are they linked to Google, or do they have their own thing going?

[kgbsquirrel]

Holy crap.

While Android is open source and you can set your phone up without the googles, where do you go for apps? Are there any depositories of apps that have any kind of a decent catalog, and that are easy enough for an average Android user to get? For that matter, rooting a phone is not something a lot of people  (like your grandma) are comfortable doing.

Again, this is outrageous. Because so many people have come to rely on not only these social media platforms, but the underlying OS platforms, this is really akin to Verizon deciding what numbers you can and can't call from your phone.

And I bet because of DC, all the Republican reps that were screaming about section 230 and having hearings and everything are now going to forget all about it.

Seriously, I think we are already in the middle of a backdoor takeover of the United States. I sit here and realize that in the matter of a week I have gone from tinfoil theories to watching it actually happen.

Seems surreal doesn't it?  Welcome to the party.

[AZRedhawk44]

 this is really akin to Verizon deciding what numbers you can and can't call from your phone.

So I'm unwillingly compelled to be the telecom admin for our company, and we use RingCentral for our VoIP provider.

RingCentral does block what numbers you can and can't call from your account.  We've encountered it while doing business with customers in Puerto Rico, Portugal, and Ireland.  I have to go out of my way to get a company officer to sign a stack of paperwork authorizing us to dial certain prefixes in those countries.

Mind you, my company caters software to some of the largest law firms in the world.  We're not calling back alley abortion clinics or brothels or something.  These are multinational law firms with hundreds of timekeepers at a minimum, usually thousands.

[lupinus]

It's not banned on Android, it's banned from the play store like an ungodly number of other apps that don't meet it's guidelines. But yes, unlike apple apps can be side loaded on Android devices. Least on my Samsung it gives me the option when I download the app and go to install it, it's quite simple. Once you've done your thing I recommend setting it back to the default to insure apps you didn't intend to load onto your device can't. The app still works fine, it's the install of the app that requires the permission, not running it once it is installed.

[RocketMan]

Yes. The APK file can be downloaded and installed locally on your phone.

https://www.apkfiles.com/
https://www.apkmirror.com/

Searches on both these sites do not show the Parler apk.  It looks like the ban on Parler is spreading.
You can download the parler-release.apk file from their website.  I managed to install it on my Android phone.

[Ron]

A lot of folks are migrating from Parlor to GAB

[bedlamite]

Also, Signal is probably the most secure SMS app:  https://www.signal.org/

Brave is probably the best browser, it comes with Tor built in.

[Ben]

Also, Signal is probably the most secure SMS app:  https://www.signal.org/

Brave is probably the best browser, it comes with Tor built in.

I just saw Elon Musk is telling all his followers to go to Signal. With that and other stuff I've seen him do of late, it seems he has taken the red pill.

As mentioned elsewhere, I'm trying out different browsers on my new computer to see if I want to switch from Firefox. This week was Edge, next week is Brave. I just installed it today, but what is up with that "earning BATs in your wallet" thing? That doesn't seem very private to me.

[bedlamite]

but what is up with that "earning BATs in your wallet" thing? That doesn't seem very private to me.

As I understand it, it's a way for websites to get paid for ads that you have some control over, as opposed to the google ads where they everything about your internet use is made available to anyone. I've still got it turned off.

[Angel Eyes]

https://twitter.com/ScottAdamsSays/status/1347966181769048065

[WLJ]

    JUST IN – Amazon employees call for the company to cut ties with #Parler. The website and app are hosted on Amazon's cloud hosting platform AWS.

    — Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) January 9, 2021

‘Employees’ of Amazon, which hosts Parler, asking company to cut ties with the Twitter alternative
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2021/01/09/employees-of-amazon-which-hosts-parler-asking-company-to-cut-ties-with-the-twitter-alternative/

[Ben]

‘Employees’ of Amazon, which hosts Parler, asking company to cut ties with the Twitter alternative
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2021/01/09/employees-of-amazon-which-hosts-parler-asking-company-to-cut-ties-with-the-twitter-alternative/

Somebody better hurry and develop and advertise some decentralized alternatives before it's too late to even figure out where to go next because everyone has been censored. At the rate they're going, all the AWS type of servers and hosting services will have banned everything within the next 48 hours.

[kgbsquirrel]

Speaking of, how is APS situated?

[Nick1911]

Speaking of, how is APS situated?

Sitting on servers owned by folks who are known to host pro-freedom pro-2A stuff...

[Jim147]

So we might just be talking to ourselves.

[Jim147]

And Parlor is gone from Apple. It might be gone all together if Amazon decides to just scrub it off the server.

[Fly320s]

And Parlor is gone from Apple. It might be gone all together if Amazon decides to just scrub it off the server.

As of a few minutes ago:


Sunday (tomorrow) at midnight Amazon will be shutting off all of our servers in an attempt to completely remove free speech off the internet. There is the possibility Parler will be unavailable on the internet for up to a week as we rebuild from scratch. We prepared for events like this by never relying on amazons proprietary infrastructure and building bare metal products.

We will try our best to move to a new provider right now as we have many competing for our business, however Amazon, Google and Apple purposefully did this as a coordinated effort knowing our options would be limited and knowing this would inflict the most damage right as President Trump was banned from the tech companies.

This was a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the market place. We were too successful too fast. You can expect the war on competition and free speech to continue, but don’t count us out.

[RoadKingLarry]

How would this not be an actionable antitrust issue? Multiple businesses working together to eliminate competition.
I doubt our current government would go after them but damn.

[RoadKingLarry]

Need to add Amazon to the list of evil. Parler is hosted on Amazon servers and they are kicking them off.
Time to dump amazon prime.


ETA - I have now canceled my Amazon prime account.