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VLC - App stores were a mistake (archive.is)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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VideoLAN @videolan App Stores were a mistake. Currently, we cannot update VLC on Windows Store, and we cannot update VLC on Android Play Store, without reducing security or dropping a lot of users... For now, iOS App Store still allows us to ship for iOS9, but until when?

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[–] 9 points 2 years ago (9 children)

With Play App Signing, Google manages and protects your app's signing key for you and uses it to sign optimized, distribution APKs that are generated from your app bundles

You can use google's play app signing. It's not mandatory.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (8 children)

    That is not better, it still means that the app is signed with a non private key, which goes against the very concept of the private/public key concept

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    Thats what they complain about. They can use it. They dont have to. Yes its bad but they mix up a lot in one post.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago*

    An unacceptable option is not an option. This is like saying somebody has access to multiple Internet providers when one ISP is so slow as to be nearly unusable, but it technically exists and you can technically pay for it. That’s not really what we mean by “choice.”

    Your response is so typical and frustrating to be honest. It’s flippant nonsense where you know what we are talking about but you don’t want to agree so you hide behind lazy responses like the one you wrote.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (5 children)

    Why do Google need the private key? I can only see it being used to modify apps without notice.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (4 children)

    Iirc, they build the app and publish it for you. "For convenience and security"

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Wow, that is terrible.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Yes, but only because it's Google. Fdroid do exactly the same thing in their repo.

    The idea behind it is sound, because otherwise you're putting all your trust in the app developer. By having the store do some basic checks and compile the app the idea is they can guarantee no third party/bad actor has inserted malicious code.

    However, this being Google, they are the bad actor.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    No, that is wrong, the app developer signs the app with their private key, sends it to Google, google scans ans verifies the app, and add their signature with their own private key.

    The app can thus be verified to have been built by a specific developer and verified by Google before publishing, without breaking trust

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