Seriously? F-Droid’s About to Have a Bad Time.

Oh joy. Another brilliant move by Google. Apparently, they’ve decided that everyone registering as an Android developer needs to cough up $25 and provide verified payment info – even if you’re just building free, open-source crap like F-Droid does. Yeah, because *that* makes perfect sense.

F-Droid, the repository for all those apps Google doesn’t want near its Play Store (read: anything not actively trying to sell your data), is now facing a massive problem. They can’t realistically pay $25 per developer for every single person contributing to their projects. We’re talking potentially thousands of dollars just to *exist*.

They’ve tried reasoning with Google, naturally. You know, politely asking the all-powerful overlords if there might be an exception for non-profit, community-driven stuff. Google’s response? Basically, “tough shit.” They’re offering a one-time credit to existing developers, but that’s a band-aid on a gaping wound.

So, what does this mean? F-Droid might have to shut down new submissions, or worse, completely die. Which is fantastic news for anyone who likes having *any* control over their privacy and security. More bloatware and spyware for everyone! Seriously, Google, you’re actively making the internet a shittier place.

Don’t expect any miracles here. This isn’t about safety; it’s about control and squeezing every last penny out of developers. It’s just another example of how they stranglehold the Android ecosystem.

Source: BleepingComputer

And a related story…

I once had to debug a network issue caused by someone using a router from 1998. Nineteen. Ninety. Eight. They refused to upgrade because “it still works.” This Google thing? It’s the same level of shortsighted, infuriating stupidity. Some things never change.

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