It is what I would call "functionally true". You have to enable developer mode to install unverified apps. A very, very small subset of users are going to do that.
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html?m=1
If you have more information on this, please share.
They are de-facto "blocked" for developers that refuse to submit their identity to Google. I think you might not be understanding the implications of Google's policy, please read this open letter to learn more: https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/
If a developer doesn't submit to identify verification, under the new system their app could not be installed regardless of what store it is distributed on.
Needing individual devs to identify themselves directly to Google is invasive. Stores, however, could identity themselves to Google (or the world) as having security processes in place. Then they could be allowed as official 3rd party stores, similar to how the Linux repository system works.
Alternate stores like Accrescent and FDroid are blocked by this policy, and Google refuses to implement any mechanism for authorising at the store level either. Store level authorization is an obvious alternative to verification of each individual app.
Both Accescent and FDroid have some oversight processes in place, and do not contain "random" APKs. Googles actions show the real motive, which is control... not security.
There is an option in Steam to allow Vulkan shader compilation in the background when you start Steam. I do that, so most times they have already compiled by the time I go to start a game
This ideology only works in a world where authority as a concept doesn't exist. If humanity ever achieves a global anarchist utopia, then you can try this idea out.
Until then, those with less power benefit immensely from hiding their identity from those with great power. Today, people in many nations live under increasingly invasive surveillance. This surveillance serves to prevent them from reacting to their material conditions (labor organizing, protesting, any sort of resistance).
I think you might agree that anything that prevents a person from adapting to changing material conditions is a bad thing. It creates a life of suffering and oppression that is inescapable. Privacy mitigates this by allowing the oppressed to resist this effect without experiencing the retaliation of the oppressors.
In summary, the need for privacy exists as a hedge against authoritarianism. If humanity manages to organize in such a way where that is no longer a problem, THEN this conversation might be more interesting.
The OP's disclosure doesn't meet the requirements you laid out for proper disclosure. At this early stage I would suggest removing posts that only partially meet the criteria, otherwise you will spend a lot of time handholding posters. Or, if low quality disclosures are allowed, then it dilutes the effect of the rules immensely. I know you want to be patient with people, but proper enforcement now will pay off in the long run!
Use invidious, the people behind it are insanely good at sidestepping YouTube's blocks. https://inv.nadeko.net/ is a major instance. If you make an account (which I think is open and anonymous) you can change settings so you come to search as your first page. No distracting YouTube front page bullshit. I use it on GrapheneOS as an IronFox webapp
Let's say advocating in bad faith. The recent ones have been trolling for responses, and the OP is very combative. Not productive or enjoyable at all.
If someone has a good or funny point to make, and isn't a total POS in the comments, no ban.
Yeah I think the marketing speak for these mesh VPN solutions is confusing. But essentially it seems to me that for most people if they think of a feature they used to use with Tailscale, Netbird has it
Have a look at self hosted netbird on a VPS. Its free and has very little feature restrictions https://netbird.io/
IMO the answer from a security perspective is that the Linux distro "official repo" model is about as good as it gets. However somehow we still have Fedora COPR, openSUSE OBS, Arch AUR, etc. Those are essentially like FDroid. If someone can solve the problem of why apps can't be easily just added and controlled in the official repos, maybe we'd be getting somewhere. Seems to be an industry issue.