Google's New Remote Attestation Scheme is As Bad As Its Old One

Google has launched reCAPTCHA Mobile Verification, which blocks access for users running independent versions of Android—privacy-focused alternatives like GrapheneOS and CalyxOS. According to the EFF, these 'de-googled' systems appeal to people trying to escape Android's aggressive data collection; the operating system harvests personal data every five minutes by default. The irony is sharp: Google originally positioned Android as an open alternative to Apple's locked-down ecosystem. Yet the company has consistently undermined openness when it threatens its dominance. Google has lost three major federal antitrust cases, pays Apple over twenty billion dollars annually to stay out of search, and has used illegal tying arrangements to force hardware vendors to use Google's version of Android. According to the EFF, this latest measure reveals Google's strategy: lock down the platform by blocking interoperability—the same principle that lets you choose what software runs on your device.

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