Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-10T22:03:46Z

JodyBruchonFan: timestamp

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
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| info = This user is a proud [[User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber|DownloadTuber]].
| info-c = #222
| info-fc = #ffffff
| info-op = #0f0

| border-c = #f00
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To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ&t=464 OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]'', 7:44.

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-10T21:32:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: Added quote by Miloslav Číž

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
{{Userbox
| id = [[File:DownloadTube icon.png|35px|link=User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber]]
| id-c = #400
| id-fc = #ffffff
| id-op =

| info = This user is a proud [[User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber|DownloadTuber]].
| info-c = #222
| info-fc = #ffffff
| info-op = #0f0

| border-c = #f00
| border-op =
| nocat = true
}}
</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]''

----

<blockquote>
If you think [people in positions of authority] can't do something, you are wrong; unless it is directly violating a law of physics, they can do it. For example you may think "haha they can't start selling air, people would revolt", "hahaaa, they can't make people believe 1 + 1 equals 2000, it's too obvious of a lie" or "hahaaa they can't lie about history when there is a ton of direct evidence for the contrary freely accessible on the Internet, they can't censor something that's all over the Internet and in billions of books" -- yes, they can do all of this.

[...]

You think "hahaha, if we create this super encrypted/decentralized computer network, we can simply communicate and they can do nothing about it, BAZINGA" -- well, no you can't. How can they stop this? '''They will simply ban computers''' you idiot, in fact you have only given them the reason to.

You say "hahaha but I can have this calculator in my basement hidden" -- well, how many people will participate in your network if revealing such participation is punished not only by death sentence, but death sentence for you whole family; if even people who know about you participating in the network and not reporting you face the same punishment (already the case in some pseudocommunist countries)?

If in addition people have no free time, if they don't have electricity at home, no will to live and there are also government signal jammers everywhere just in case? Enjoy your guerrilla resistance network with three people armed with calculators.

You say "bbbb...but that cant happen ppl would revolt" -- NO. Have you seen chicken at chicken farm revolt? (Except in that one movie lol). "BBBb...BUT... people are not chicken". NO. People are literally physically chicken (to a stupid argument you get stupid counterargument).

[...]

Admit it, whatever they do you will conform even if you're angry about it because not conforming would cause you discomfort and you like comfort, so here you have it: they can do whatever they want. You want war? Probably not, but if they start it, you will go to war, you will help them make weapons, you will kill. You want to watch ads? Probably not, but if they put them up you will watch them. You want to get up every day at 5 AM and spend your day doing something that has no meaning and which you hate doing? Maybe, but it doesn't even matter if you want, you will do it despite wanting or not.
</blockquote>
- from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20251024131239/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/yes_they_can.html Yes They Can]'' by Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher. Bolded for emphasis.

"They will simply ban computers" - and if not, they will [[Anti-privacy_legislation|backdoor everything]]. Looks like the "tinfoil hat" people weren't so crazy after all.

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-10T16:40:18Z

JodyBruchonFan: Added quote by Jody Bruchon.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
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| id-c = #400
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| info = This user is a proud [[User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber|DownloadTuber]].
| info-c = #222
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| border-c = #f00
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</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

<blockquote>
Congress is full of eighty-year-olds who can barely use a BlackBerry, but they're making legislation about what you should be able to do with your hardware.
</blockquote>
- Jody Bruchon, from ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCMNAVBGSQ OS Age Verification: Millions Of Predators With GPS In Your Kid's Pocket, Required By Law!]''

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

Data lock-in

2026-03-07T12:19:16Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Saved pages in Apple Safari on iPhone */ Correct discussion. The other one was about iMessage, not Safari. It was correct before the editor before me replaced it with the Samsung discussion link.

'''Data lock-in''' limits how device owners can access and manage data stored on the device they own. For example, some mobile applications store user data in a way they can only be viewed from inside the app, with no possibility of creating backups or moving them to external storage to free space. Many social media platforms make it difficult to export data. '''Data portability''' is a more consumer friendly approach, where it is easy to move data from one application or platform to alternatives.

==Incidents==
===Saved pages in Samsung Internet===
The mobile web browser by Samsung stores saved pages in the <code>/data</code> directory. This is a locked-in directory where apps store data only accessible to themselves.

Users have requested Samsung developers to change its browser to store saved pages in a non-locked-in place that makes them accessible from other applications and makes it possible to create backups, or to let users export copies of saved pages, but Samsung refused to implement this change. Some users have stored thousands of web pages this way before realizing they are unable to create backups or move them to external storage.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250806152342/https://forum.developer.samsung.com/t/regarding-saved-webpages/5304/1 Regarding saved webpages - Samsung Internet - Samsung Developer Forums]</ref>

Rooting a device would make the <code>/data</code> folder accessible, but this requires an unlocked bootloader. The process of unlocking the bootloader involves a factory reset, which deletes all user-generated files from internal storage.

In comparison, Google Chrome on mobile stores web pages as MHTML files in the download folder where they are not locked in, and Firefox on mobile completely lacks a feature to save pages.

===Saved pages in Apple Safari on iPhone===
Apple refers to saved pages as the "reading list", a name that implies the feature is intended for storing pages only until they are read, not for archival. Like with Samsung, people have asked for an ability to export saved pages. Apple has not responded.<ref>[https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8293638 How do you EXPORT your Reading List from Safari - Apple Community] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20251010130718/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8293638 archive])</ref>

===User data in mobile web browsers===
No major mobile web browser lets the user export their session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history and bookmarks to a local file. Exporting all tabs may be desirable to start with a fresh session without losing the existing session, and exporting the history makes it easier to search for pages a long time after visiting, beyond what the browser retains.<ref>[https://beepb00p.xyz/sad-infra.html The sad state of personal data and infrastructure] - Karl Icoss ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260203233117/https://beepb00p.xyz/sad-infra.html Archived])</ref>

Some web browsers have a "Sync" feature that allows synchronizing tabs and bookmarks across devices, but it is cloud-based, meaning it depends on an online service that can cease to operate at any time.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260202071758/https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ Archived])</ref><ref>[https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ How to Export Chrome Bookmarks for the Last Time] - Workona ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126072849/https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ Archived])</ref>

===Text messages===
The built-in text messaging applications of both Android and iOS lack a built-in local export option.

On Android, the third-party app "SMS Backup+" can create exports, but they can not be directly stored locally, only uploaded to the middleman GMail, which requires Internet connection and a Google account, and can cease to function at any time due to Google API changes.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250314125929/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/974 Feature request: save to local file · Issue #974 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250313124817/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/1110 SMS -Backup+ unable to log into my email to backup SMS messages · Issue #1110 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref>

On iOS, exporting apps require payment, an external computer, and save as PDF, resulting in much larger files than plain text.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251111204709/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255416051?sortBy=rank Export iMessage conversation - Apple Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2026-0228-1623-45/https://discussions.apple.com:443/thread/255674743?sortBy=rank I want to download my messages to an external drive (flash drive) - Apple Community]</ref>

Chat messages can be archived manually with screenshots and screen recordings, but this takes lots of time and manual work, and the resulting files can not be searched for text and will be much larger in size than a plain text-based export would be.

[[WhatsApp]] lets the user export messages to a text file, but this has to be done for each conversation individually, and starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.08.28-001731/https://faq.whatsapp.com/715385484388016/?cms_platform=web About advanced chat privacy | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

===Android data folder===
Since Android 11, apps can no longer browse the <code>Android/data</code> folder in the shared user storage (not to be confused with <code>/data</code>, which was locked in since the beginning).<ref>[https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/privacy/storage Storage updates in Android 11 | Android Developers]: If your app targets Android 11, it cannot access the files in any other app's data directory, even if the other app targets Android 8.1 (API level 27) or lower and has made the files in its data directory world-readable ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260130032658/https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/privacy/storage Archived]).</ref>

===Videos downloaded inside the YouTube app===
YouTube provides no official way for people to create permanent local copies of videos. This includes Creative Commons media.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 07:20</ref> The only exception is YouTube Studio allowing channel owners to download their own videos in up to 720p.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UHS1-vDMM Changes to Unlisted Videos Uploaded Before 2017], 4:30 ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=l6UHS1-vDMM Archived])</ref>

While the YouTube app lets paying YouTube Premium subscribers download videos for offline viewing, the videos are only accessible through the YouTube app, encoded in a proprietary format, and forcibly deleted after 29 days.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref>

Permanent local copies are necessary to preserve Internet history when YouTube ceases to operate:
<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

===Telekom Entertain media receiver recordings===
The German Telekom, an Internet and Internet Television provider, sells landline Internet television receivers and recorders. A former product line were the "Entertain" Media Receiver 300, 301, 303, and 500. (The 100 and 102 were secondary devices with no internal hard drives. The others had hard drives between 160 and 500 GB.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-101349/https://www.telekom-profis.de/vermitteln/news/media-receiver-mr-102-wieder-erhaeltlich-60.html Media Receiver MR 102 wieder erhältlich! - Telekom Profis] (June 2011)</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6725650 Media Receiver 100] (user manual)</ref><ref>[https://www.woogmedia.de:443/downloads/BDA_MR300.pdf Media Receiver 300 Bedienungsanleitung] (user manual) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260210175058/https://www.woogmedia.de/downloads/BDA_MR300.pdf Archived])</ref><ref name="MR300">[https://www.hifitest.de/test/stereoanlage-und-komplettanlage/deutsche-telekom-t-home-media-receiver-300-380 Deutsche Telekom T-Home Media Receiver 300] - hifitest.de (June 2009) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260208092154/https://www.hifitest.de/test/stereoanlage-und-komplettanlage/deutsche-telekom-t-home-media-receiver-300-380 Archived])</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-101343/https://www.golem.de/1101/80856.html Media Receiver 303: Neuer Festplattenrekorder für Telekom Entertain - Golem.de] (January 2011)</ref><ref name="MR500" />)

Their operating systems were designed in a way that they would not boot without connecting to Telekom servers, and the devices stored the television recordings on their internal hard drive in a proprietary format, and provided the user with no means of copying or moving recordings to external media such as an external flash drive or hard drive, meaning users were forced to delete recordings when running out of disk space. While the devices featured up to two USB ports, some even an eSATA port, they had no use other than supplying electrical power.<ref name="MR500">[https://www.hifitest.de/test/sat-receiver-mit-festplatte/deutsche-telekom-media-receiver-500-sat-6114 Deutsche Telekom Media Receiver 500 Sat] - hifitest.de (June 2012) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250621145244/https://www.hifitest.de/test/sat-receiver-mit-festplatte/deutsche-telekom-media-receiver-500-sat-6114 Archived])</ref><ref name="MR300" /><ref>[https://telekom.tarife-angebote.de/magenta-zuhause/entertain/media-receiver-empfaenger/mr303-iptv-festplattenrekorder Telekom Media-Receiver 303 (MR303 Festplattenrekorder)] - telekom.tarife-angebote.de ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260127112814/https://telekom.tarife-angebote.de/magenta-zuhause/entertain/media-receiver-empfaenger/mr303-iptv-festplattenrekorder Archived])</ref>

In 2019, its users lost access to all recordings stored locally on the devices when the online service their operating system depended on was shut down. The devices were in service for eight years (since 2011), meaning users would lose access to up to eight years of television recordings.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-095619/https://web.archive.org/web/20190825100604/https://www.telekom.com/de/konzern/details/magentatv-loest-entertain-ab-558808 MagentaTV löst Entertain ab | Deutsche Telekom]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210412055921/https://www.onlinekosten.de/news/telekom-zieht-2019-beim-alten-entertain-den-stecker_214313.html Telekom zieht 2019 beim alten "Entertain" den Stecker]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Enshittification]]
*[[Right to own]]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Common terms]]

YouTube

2026-03-06T18:38:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Incidents */ YouTube doesn't like people owning copies of videos locally.

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Streaming, Video
|Company=Google
|Description=
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=YouTube.png
|ReleaseYear=2005
|Website=https://youtube.com
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, video logs ("vlogs"), and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer impact summary==
*'''User freedom:''' Questionable; rampant bots and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation.
*'''User privacy:''' Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers and the site is owned by [[Google]].
*'''Business model:''' [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market competition:''' Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, [[PeerTube]], and [[DailyMotion]], they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==
===Elsagate===
{{Main|Elsagate}}

The first "Elsagate" incident arose sometime during the mid-2010s on YouTube, though it was not discovered and named until 2016. It has since been used as a catch-all term for content that appears child-friendly at first glance but, in actuality, contains suggestive or outright illicit material targeted at minors. This is accomplished by using major intellectual properties for children, such as the Elsa character from the 2013 [[Disney]] film ''{{Wplink|Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen}}'' and [[Minecraft]].

Although the problem is not unique to the YouTube platform, its dominance in the video sphere makes it an attractive target.

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|YouTube age verification}}

On 30 July 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |website=GameRant |date=30 Jul 2025 |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730234131/https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |archive-date=30 Jul 2025}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101140008/https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/creator-economy/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref> This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jordan |date=20 Jan 2024 |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GjC82 |archive-date=24 Feb 2026 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |website=33rd Square}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Aamir |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dirscherl |first=Hans-Christian |last2=Lee |first2=Joel |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu
|title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url=https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816143812/https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248 |archive-date=16 Aug 2024}}</ref>), increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Arol |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=YouTube |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Knoblauch |first=Max |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=YouTube |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=YouTube |date= |access-date=6 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206072120/https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AED |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250525154227/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Can you still see ads if you have YouTube Premium? Here's what Google has to say |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |website=Android Authority |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211123241/https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-youtube-premium-ads-3384953/ |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref> YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Anurag |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are inappropriate... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=YouTube |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |archive-date=23 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Adamya |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse
|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=YouTube |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |archive-date=2 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150604/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=YouTube |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=YouTube |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |archive-date=26 Feb 2025}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=YouTube |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |title=Monetisation analysis / research
|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl |website=[[Google]] |date=20 Nov 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://consumerrights.wiki/w/File:Karlaplan_Monetisation_analysis_research_.pdf |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Disney |first=Malia |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=Youth Radio Media
|date=4 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantz |first=Randy |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy
|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Jines |first=Chuck |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=YouTube |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |archive-date=2 Feb 2026}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin
|first=John |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Flaherty |first=Kate |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |url-access=subscription |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620123932/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |archive-date=20 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |website=YouTube |date=12 Oct 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg |archive-date=13 Oct 2023}}</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref>{{Cite web |author=phub |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |website=YouTube |date=5 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI |archive-date=5 Nov 2023}}</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis
|title=Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |website=YouTube |date=18 Jun 2024
|access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw |archive-date=28 Jul 2024}}</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, a measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |website=YouTube |date=23 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk |archive-date=23 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |title=Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |website=YouTube |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 |archive-date=21 Nov 2023}}</ref>

===Offline video DRM===
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by [[Digital rights management|Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author= |date= |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111004845/https://www.youtube.com/premium |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719175650/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |archive-date=19 Jul 2025}}</ref>

Saved videos are forcibly deleted after 29 days. [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|Data lock-in and proprietary encoding]] prevents the user from making permanent copies of videos, even those licensed under Creative Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Santos |first=Noel |title=Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files |url=https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |website=Virtual Curiosities |date=7 Dec 2024 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files |archive-date=26 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Mental Outlaw |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |website=YouTube |date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |archive-date=29 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licenses===
YouTube on TV is an {{Wplink|HTML5}} web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An {{Wplink|A/B testing|A/B experiment}} has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bit-rate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a user's ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=License Versions |url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |date=13 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Pay-walling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.

On 7 February 2026, it was reported that YouTube Music was testing a feature that would paywall song lyrics, which were previously a free feature since 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardwick |first=Tim |title=YouTube Music lyrics now require a Premium subscription |url=https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |website=9TO5Google |date=7 Feb 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225137/https://9to5google.com/2026/02/07/youtube-music-lyrics-premium/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author= |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related {{Wplink|API}}, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Can |first=Michael |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube's algorithm was engineered to make the user watch more videos than they intended, to earn more ad revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicas |first=Jack |title=How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |url-access=subscription |website=The Wall Street Journal. |date=7 Feb 2018 |access-date=29 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208091112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478 |archive-date=8 Dec 2018 |quote=YouTube engineered its algorithm several years ago to make the site “sticky”—to recommend videos that keep users staying to watch still more, said current and former YouTube engineers who helped build it. The site earns money selling ads that run before and during videos.}}</ref> This is on top of a feature called Autoplay, which queues another video (chosen by Youtube's algorithm) and plays that automatically after a short delay so you keep watching more. Through this mechanism, children will especially have their attention extracted for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |author= |title=James Bridle: What Do Kids' Videos on YouTube Reveal About the Internet's Dark Side? |others=NPR/TED Staff |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |website=NPR |date=2 Nov 2018 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620234159/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/662612151 |archive-date=20 Jun 2025 |quote="And also, on the other side of the screen, there still are these little kids watching this stuff - right? - their full attention grabbed by these weird mechanisms. And so there's autoplay, where it just keeps playing these videos over and over and over on a loop, endlessly, for hours and hours at a time. And there's so much weirdness in the system now that autoplay takes you to some pretty strange places. This is how within, like, a dozen steps, you can go from a cute video of a counting train to masturbating Mickey Mouse."}}</ref>

By default, this feature is enabled.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===

Since the beginning of 2025, users have been reporting issues with third-party front-ends accessing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Fijxu |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |website=nadeko |date=16 Feb 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref> For FreeTube, there has been a heightened amount of people receiving {{Wplink|HTTP 403|403 errors}} associated with IP blocks when attempting to view videos via this front-end.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Gevaarlijk |title=[Bug]: [BAD_HTTP_STATUS: 403] Potential causes: IP block or streaming URL deciphering failed #6701 |url=https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |website=GitHub |date=31 Jan 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260105144421/https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/6701 |archive-date=5 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===AI filtering without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Atlantic |date=22 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822194955/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic. This change has been observed as early as 27 June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ulincsys |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250827144146/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "{{Wplink|VHS}} look".<ref>{{Cite web |author=dolanbriese |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=21 Jul 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003103832/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |website=YouTube |date=14 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |archive-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

Artist Sam Yang uploaded a video on 30 August 2025, following up on the issue using his own work for comparison, testing the claims that this is merely compression scaling, adding an artist's eye and commentary to the issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Sam |title=Youtube is Using AI on Your Shorts Without Consent.. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |website=YouTube |date=30 Aug 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

Users also complained about a dangerous flickering that happens under some videos. Some forwarded this issue to YouTube scientist Anton Petrov, to which he replicated the issue and showed it under a video uploaded 25 October 2025, noting it happens on one of his devices, more specifically a mobile phone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrov |first=Anton |title=YouTube AI Filter Is Making My Videos Dangerous To Watch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |website=YouTube |date=25 Oct 2025 |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.preservetube.com/watch?v=2HY-nREvVu4 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Wave of channel terminations (''2025'')===
In November 2025, multiple YouTube channels, including Enderman, Scratchit Gaming, and 4096 were reportedly terminated in a massive ban wave under false reasons, such as association with a Japanese-language channel "椛のスターレイル遊び" which translates roughly as "Momiji plays Honkai: Star Rail Adventures," a reference to a Japanese role-playing game. Some have blamed the ban wave on the malfunctions of YouTube's AI-powered moderation system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |title=Big YouTube channels are being banned. YouTubers are blaming AI. |url=https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |website=Mashable |date=4 Nov 2025 |access-date=2 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125020/https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===API restrictions===
In June 2023, YouTube forced Matt Wright, maintainer of the YouTube Metadata tool, to remove the exporting feature which let people export YouTube metadata such as video descriptions into a file. This did not include the videos themselves. It can be assumed that this is the "tip of an iceberg" and YouTube made many such requests without them being publicly documented.<ref>[https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Export Feature? · mattwright324/youtube-metadata · Discussion #150 · GitHub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251214094758/https://github.com/mattwright324/youtube-metadata/discussions/150 Archived])</ref>

=== Prevention of offline video preservation (downloading) ===
Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57)</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos)</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent people from backing up videos locally. From a YouTube help center article:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help]</ref>

It is not specified what preventing offline use is intended to protect against.

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. YouTube Premium comes with a "download" feature, however, it is useless for long-term archival of videos given that it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name=VirtualCuriosities>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/cobalt_tools/comments/1lhmlqx/youtube_downloads_not_working_megathread/ YouTube downloads not working - Megathread] - /r/cobalt_tools - Reddit</ref>

While YouTube can advertise its Premium service as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder, accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium actually has. The 29-day storage limit coupled with data lock-in render the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.<ref name=VirtualCuriosities />

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs GhostArchive mirror])</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

Sandbox

2026-03-06T18:14:26Z

JodyBruchonFan: reset

{{:Sandbox/Welcome}}

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Sandbox

2026-03-06T18:12:16Z

JodyBruchonFan: test

{{:Sandbox/Welcome}}

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https://archive.today/

Data lock-in

2026-03-06T18:11:56Z

JodyBruchonFan: The Apple link was correct.

'''Data lock-in''' limits how device owners can access and manage data stored on the device they own. For example, some mobile applications store user data in a way they can only be viewed from inside the app, with no possibility of creating backups or moving them to external storage to free space. Many social media platforms make it difficult to export data. '''Data portability''' is a more consumer friendly approach, where it is easy to move data from one application or platform to alternatives.

==Incidents==
===Saved pages in Samsung Internet===
The mobile web browser by Samsung stores saved pages in the <code>/data</code> directory. This is a locked-in directory where apps store data only accessible to themselves.

Users have requested Samsung developers to change its browser to store saved pages in a non-locked-in place that makes them accessible from other applications and makes it possible to create backups, or to let users export copies of saved pages, but Samsung refused to implement this change. Some users have stored thousands of web pages this way before realizing they are unable to create backups or move them to external storage.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250806152342/https://forum.developer.samsung.com/t/regarding-saved-webpages/5304/1 Regarding saved webpages - Samsung Internet - Samsung Developer Forums]</ref>

Rooting a device would make the <code>/data</code> folder accessible, but this requires an unlocked bootloader. The process of unlocking the bootloader involves a factory reset, which deletes all user-generated files from internal storage.

In comparison, Google Chrome on mobile stores web pages as MHTML files in the download folder where they are not locked in, and Firefox on mobile completely lacks a feature to save pages.

===Saved pages in Apple Safari on iPhone===
Apple refers to saved pages as the "reading list", a name that implies the feature is intended for storing pages only until they are read, not for archival. Like with Samsung, people have asked for an ability to export saved pages. Apple has not responded.<ref>[https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255416051?sortBy=rank How do you EXPORT your Reading List from Safari - Apple Community] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260228070610/https://discussions.apple.com:443/thread/255416051?sortBy=rank archive])</ref>

===User data in mobile web browsers===
No major mobile web browser lets the user export their session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history and bookmarks to a local file. Exporting all tabs may be desirable to start with a fresh session without losing the existing session, and exporting the history makes it easier to search for pages a long time after visiting, beyond what the browser retains.<ref>[https://beepb00p.xyz/sad-infra.html The sad state of personal data and infrastructure] - Karl Icoss ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260203233117/https://beepb00p.xyz/sad-infra.html Archived])</ref>

Some web browsers have a "Sync" feature that allows synchronizing tabs and bookmarks across devices, but it is cloud-based, meaning it depends on an online service that can cease to operate at any time.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260202071758/https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ Archived])</ref><ref>[https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ How to Export Chrome Bookmarks for the Last Time] - Workona ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126072849/https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ Archived])</ref>

===Text messages===
The built-in text messaging applications of both Android and iOS lack a built-in local export option.

On Android, the third-party app "SMS Backup+" can create exports, but they can not be directly stored locally, only uploaded to the middleman GMail, which requires Internet connection and a Google account, and can cease to function at any time due to Google API changes.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250314125929/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/974 Feature request: save to local file · Issue #974 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250313124817/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/1110 SMS -Backup+ unable to log into my email to backup SMS messages · Issue #1110 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref>

On iOS, exporting apps require payment, an external computer, and save as PDF, resulting in much larger files than plain text.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251111204709/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255416051?sortBy=rank Export iMessage conversation - Apple Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2026-0228-1623-45/https://discussions.apple.com:443/thread/255674743?sortBy=rank I want to download my messages to an external drive (flash drive) - Apple Community]</ref>

Chat messages can be archived manually with screenshots and screen recordings, but this takes lots of time and manual work, and the resulting files can not be searched for text and will be much larger in size than a plain text-based export would be.

[[WhatsApp]] lets the user export messages to a text file, but this has to be done for each conversation individually, and starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.08.28-001731/https://faq.whatsapp.com/715385484388016/?cms_platform=web About advanced chat privacy | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

===Android data folder===
Since Android 11, apps can no longer browse the <code>Android/data</code> folder in the shared user storage (not to be confused with <code>/data</code>, which was locked in since the beginning).<ref>[https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/privacy/storage Storage updates in Android 11 | Android Developers]: If your app targets Android 11, it cannot access the files in any other app's data directory, even if the other app targets Android 8.1 (API level 27) or lower and has made the files in its data directory world-readable ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260130032658/https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/privacy/storage Archived]).</ref>

===Videos downloaded inside the YouTube app===
YouTube provides no official way for people to create permanent local copies of videos. This includes Creative Commons media.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 07:20</ref> The only exception is YouTube Studio allowing channel owners to download their own videos in up to 720p.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UHS1-vDMM Changes to Unlisted Videos Uploaded Before 2017], 4:30 ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=l6UHS1-vDMM Archived])</ref>

While the YouTube app lets paying YouTube Premium subscribers download videos for offline viewing, the videos are only accessible through the YouTube app, encoded in a proprietary format, and forcibly deleted after 29 days.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref>

Permanent local copies are necessary to preserve Internet history when YouTube ceases to operate:
<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

===Telekom Entertain media receiver recordings===
The German Telekom, an Internet and Internet Television provider, sells landline Internet television receivers and recorders. A former product line were the "Entertain" Media Receiver 300, 301, 303, and 500. (The 100 and 102 were secondary devices with no internal hard drives. The others had hard drives between 160 and 500 GB.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-101349/https://www.telekom-profis.de/vermitteln/news/media-receiver-mr-102-wieder-erhaeltlich-60.html Media Receiver MR 102 wieder erhältlich! - Telekom Profis] (June 2011)</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6725650 Media Receiver 100] (user manual)</ref><ref>[https://www.woogmedia.de:443/downloads/BDA_MR300.pdf Media Receiver 300 Bedienungsanleitung] (user manual) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260210175058/https://www.woogmedia.de/downloads/BDA_MR300.pdf Archived])</ref><ref name="MR300">[https://www.hifitest.de/test/stereoanlage-und-komplettanlage/deutsche-telekom-t-home-media-receiver-300-380 Deutsche Telekom T-Home Media Receiver 300] - hifitest.de (June 2009) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260208092154/https://www.hifitest.de/test/stereoanlage-und-komplettanlage/deutsche-telekom-t-home-media-receiver-300-380 Archived])</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-101343/https://www.golem.de/1101/80856.html Media Receiver 303: Neuer Festplattenrekorder für Telekom Entertain - Golem.de] (January 2011)</ref><ref name="MR500" />)

Their operating systems were designed in a way that they would not boot without connecting to Telekom servers, and the devices stored the television recordings on their internal hard drive in a proprietary format, and provided the user with no means of copying or moving recordings to external media such as an external flash drive or hard drive, meaning users were forced to delete recordings when running out of disk space. While the devices featured up to two USB ports, some even an eSATA port, they had no use other than supplying electrical power.<ref name="MR500">[https://www.hifitest.de/test/sat-receiver-mit-festplatte/deutsche-telekom-media-receiver-500-sat-6114 Deutsche Telekom Media Receiver 500 Sat] - hifitest.de (June 2012) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250621145244/https://www.hifitest.de/test/sat-receiver-mit-festplatte/deutsche-telekom-media-receiver-500-sat-6114 Archived])</ref><ref name="MR300" /><ref>[https://telekom.tarife-angebote.de/magenta-zuhause/entertain/media-receiver-empfaenger/mr303-iptv-festplattenrekorder Telekom Media-Receiver 303 (MR303 Festplattenrekorder)] - telekom.tarife-angebote.de ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260127112814/https://telekom.tarife-angebote.de/magenta-zuhause/entertain/media-receiver-empfaenger/mr303-iptv-festplattenrekorder Archived])</ref>

In 2019, its users lost access to all recordings stored locally on the devices when the online service their operating system depended on was shut down. The devices were in service for eight years (since 2011), meaning users would lose access to up to eight years of television recordings.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-095619/https://web.archive.org/web/20190825100604/https://www.telekom.com/de/konzern/details/magentatv-loest-entertain-ab-558808 MagentaTV löst Entertain ab | Deutsche Telekom]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210412055921/https://www.onlinekosten.de/news/telekom-zieht-2019-beim-alten-entertain-den-stecker_214313.html Telekom zieht 2019 beim alten "Entertain" den Stecker]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Enshittification]]
*[[Right to own]]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Common terms]]

Anti-privacy legislation

2026-03-06T18:09:49Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* List of Legislation */ Mandatory real-life identity disclosure to activate SIM cards.

{{Incomplete|issue 1=needs general improvement of quality and quantity of information}}

[[Anti-privacy legislation]] simply put is legislation that may be created with malicious intent or not that invoke ones right to privacy. In the last decade, governments across the world have introduced various pieces of such legislation, which has caused damage to the privacy consumers have with their technology.

==How it works==
The US legislative process is as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Legislative Process |url=https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |access-date=23 Feb 2026 |website=house.gov |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119083226/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |archive-date=19 Jan 2026}}</ref>

#A representative '''needs to sponsor a bill'''
#The bill is then '''assigned to a committee''' for study
#If the bill is '''released''' by said committee, the bill is '''put on a calendar to be voted on'''.
#If the '''majority''' of people vote for the bill(51 or more out of 100), then the bill is '''passed'''
#A conference committee made of House & Senate members then '''works out any differences''' '''between the House & Senate version of the bill'''
#Finally, the resulting bill heads back to the House & Senate for final '''approval''' by the '''President''', If the bill is signed, then it has officially become '''law'''.<ref name=":0" />

Now that such anti-privacy legislation has been approved, it can be enforced by federal agencies via penalties.

==Why it is a problem==

===Anti-privacy legislation is a direct infringement of the 1st & 4th amendments found in the bill of rights(U.S)===

*The 1st amendment states:
<blockquote>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or '''prohibiting''' the free exercise thereof; or '''abridging''' the '''freedom of speech''', or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S Constitution - First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>

If '''Anti-privacy legislation''' were to be implemented, that gives anyone with access to data on someone the ability to '''restrict freedom of speech''' or oppose those with unwanted views of the world, thus infringing the 1st amendment.{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*The 4th amendment reads as follows:

<blockquote>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against '''unreasonable searches and seizures''', shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S Constitution - Fourth Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>'''Anti-privacy legislation''' infringes on a citizen's right to avoid "'''unreasonable searches and seizures'''" since It may require/force citizens to show proof of age('''selfies, id's, credit cards''') without real probable cause and since It may also force said citizen to use less secure services that allow federal agencies to gain higher access to said services and retrieve to whatever data is "needed".{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*'''Anti-privacy legislation''' can also build the framework and foundation for other & more extreme anti-privacy measures, & such anti-privacy measures can lead to the slow development of a '''''surveillance state.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwinter |first=Daniel |title=Surveillance's Slippery Slope; Using Encryption to Recapture Privacy Rights |url=http://www.jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law}}</ref>

==List of Legislation==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Bill/Law name
!Country/State
!Basic summary of Legislation
!Method of Eroding Privacy
!Status
|-
|[[UK Online Safety Act]]
|United Kingdom
|The UK Online Safety Act is a set of law's that pushes for [[Age verification]] in order to protect quote; "children and adults online". Said enforcement includes disapproving "Illegal Content", & forcing website and domain owners to utilize "highly effective age assurance" to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content. This act also requires such platforms to " provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise."
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on Oct 26, 2023, Active since Jul 25 2025)
|-
|[https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/253 Florida HB 253]
|Florida, U.S
|Florida's 253 House Bill disallows ones ability to, in their own words, utilize "license plate obscuring devices" to prevent criminals from "escaping from or avoiding detection or arrest in connection with such crime", which could be interpreted as being punished for avoiding [[Flock license plate readers|ALPR]] detection.
|ALPR Jamming Circumvention
|Approved (Signed on May 19th 2025, Active since Oct 1 2025)
|-
|[[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|Texas, U.S
|Texas Senate Bill 2420(also known as the "App Store Accountability Act") requires app store owners & maintainers to utilize "Commercially reasonable method('s)" In order to verify the ages their users. If someone is In a category that isn't explicitly labeled "adult", then the user is considered a minor and must ask a parent or legal guardian for permission in order to install new applications that may be considered inappropriate for their age group.
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043 California Assembly Bill No. 1043]
|California, U.S
|The California Assembly Bill No. "1043" requires operating system owners, publishers/providers, & developers & maintainers to implement system level age verification via an "accessible interface at account setup", which then is used as an "age signal" for "applications available in a covered application store". Any person that violates this proposed bill(now law) will face a fine of 2,500$ per unintentional violation or 7,500$ per intentional violation.
|Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2027)
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-051 Colorado Senate Bill SB26-051]
|Colorado, U.S
|The Colorado Senate Bill "SB26-051" is a "copycat bill" of California's own "Assembly Bill No. 1043" which requires operating systems of any kind(open source or not), to utilize an interface on account setup to gain an age signal for developers to use in the main app store. Overview of said bill reads as follows; "The bill requires application developers to receive user age information and use it to comply with any applicable law."
|Device-Based Age Indication
|Under Consideration
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/737/text S.737 - Screen Act]
|U.S
|Senate bill S. 737(also known as the '''Screen Act''') is a bill that pushes for Age verification. The Technology Verification measures listed in section 4 state that a covered platform should adopt and utilize age verification measures, and that such measures must ensure that 1; '''users of the covered platform are not minors''' and 2; '''minors are prevented from accessing any content on the covered platform that is harmful to minors.'''
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1207 S.1207 - Earn It Act]
|U.S
|The Earn It Act quote "revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children" by limiting the "liability protections of interactive computer service providers(Encryption)", essentially making the Earn it Act an "anti-encryption", which is (for the most part) necessary to protect ones own important documents & maintain a level of privacy in the digital age.
|Anti-Encryption
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text S.1748 - Kids Online Safety Act]
|U.S
|The Kids Online Safety Act is one that quote "requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. ''Covered platforms'' are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions."
|Censorship/Age-Gating
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146 S.146 - TAKE IT DOWN Act]
|U.S
|The Take It Down Act(stands for '''Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act''') is a law that prohibits the publication of "non-consensual" intimate visual depictions of individuals, both real or '''computer-generated''', and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.", and such covered platforms are; public websites, online services, or applications that allows for user generated content on forums. Such a law could be & shouldn't be used as an excuse for censorship or otherwise prevention of free speech.
|Anti-Encryption/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|[https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0073.html Utah S.B. 73]
|Utah, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed House committee
|-
|[https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/hb84 Ohio HB 84]
|Ohio, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb130 Wisconsin SB 130]
|Wisconsin, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed Senate
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%201839&style=new&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 3015/1839]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2606 Iowa HF 2606]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2026&bill=HB1839&code=R%20&cal=1 Missouri HB 1839 & 901/1346/1412]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2026/HB0072 Wyoming HB 72]
|Wyoming, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/west-virginia-hb-4412/ West Virginia HB 4412]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed the House
|-
|[https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7746.pdf Rhode Island HB 7746]
|Rhode Island, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=3945&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=167424&SessionID=114 Illinois SB 3946]
|Illinois, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0908?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 908]
|Maryland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2522&GA=114 Tennessee HB 2522/SB 2398]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0693?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 693]
|Mayland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF2159 Iowa SF 2159]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=628&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 628]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF864 Iowa HF 864]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first chamber
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=498&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 498]
|West virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S1826 New Jersey S 1826]
|New Jersey, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1878&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 1878]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1271&inflect=1 New Hampshire SB 648]
|New Hampshire, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|New York [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3591 S3591] / [https://www.nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=3946 A3946]
|New York, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2112&Year=2025&Chamber=House Washington HB 2112]
|Washington, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6333 Parents Over Platforms Act - HR 6333]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF443 Iowa SF 207/443]
|Iowa
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1626 Massachusetts H 1626]
|Massachusetts, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1513 Pennsylvania HB 1513]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Michigan [https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0284 SB284]/[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4429 HB 4429]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb603 Pennsylvania SB 603]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0466&ga=114 Tennessee HB 222 / SB 466]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0191 Michigan SB 191]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF1875&ssn=0&y=2025 Minnesota HF 1875]
|Minnesota
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Minnesota [https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2105&ssn=0&y=2025 SF 2105]/[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF1434&y=2025&ssn=0&b=house HF 1434]
|Minnesota, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-8/chapter-19g/ Alabama HB 164]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Oct 1 2024)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alabama-hb-393/ Alabama HB 393]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/al-hb-441/ Alabama HB 441]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alaska-hb-254/ Alaska HB 254]
|Alaska, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/81805 Arizona HB 2112]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on May 13th 2025)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2586/ Arizona HB 2586]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2656/ Arizona HB 2656]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1125]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1298, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1298]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1125, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82735 Arizona SB 1341]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-avs-bill-2023/ Arizona SB 1503]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arkansas-protection-of-minors-from-distribution-of-harmful-material-act-2023/ Arkansas SB 66]
|Arkansas, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since July 31 2023)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-sb-127-2023/ California AB 127]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-avs-bill-2023/ California AB 1501]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-age-appropriate-design-code-act/ California AB 2273 (2022)]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-ab-3080/ California AB 3080]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/case-it-act-2023/ CASE–IT Act (2023)]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-201 Colorado SB 25-201]
|Colorado, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/delaware-hb-265/ Delaware HB 265]
|Delaware, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-hb-3-sb-1792/ Florida HB 3]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jan 1 2025)
|-
|Florida [https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81550 HB 931]/[https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81947 SB 1438]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-sb-1620-2023/ Florida SB 1620]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-avs-bill-2023/ Florida SB 472]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1289498 Louisiana HB Bill/Act No. 440]
|Louisiana, U.S
|
|Age Verification
|Approve (Active since
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-hb-910/ Georgia HB 910]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Failed (Incorporated in SB 351)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-sb-351/ Georgia SB 351]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2025)
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-hb-448/ Idaho H 448]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-h-498/ Idaho H 498]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2024)
|-
|Real-life identity disclosure required to activate SIM cards.<ref>[http://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration SIM Card Registration | Privacy International]</ref><ref>[https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/sim-card-registration-laws/ Which governments impose SIM-card registration laws to collect data on their citizens? - Comparitech]</ref>
|Many countries.
|People are required to associate their real-life identity with their SIM cards, making "burner phones" impossible, and making it impossible to access the cellular Internet without being tracked by the government. Additionally, this can be used to exclude political dissidents from accessing the Internet.
|Identity disclosure
|Approved in many countries over time.
|-
|}

==What you can do==
In order to oppose/dispute '''Anti-privacy legislation''' created by legislators, you can:

#'''Spread the word'''; not everyone knows about these bills or the mere existence of these types of bills and therefore wont even fight back{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Contact local legislators & representatives;''' If enough people oppose a proposed bill, local legislators may delay the bill or back off on their decision entirely. If enough citizens instead urge a representative to vote against a bill, said representatives could potentially follow up on the citizen's behalf.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Sign Petitions'''; Signing petitions is another way to the message across to both legislators & other people alike.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Support Pro Consumer/Privacy Bills'''; Supporting bills/would-be laws that protect consumer privacy & ownership helps circumvent future bills that aims for the opposite affect.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}

===Tools & Resources===

*[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/ Age Verification Bills] is a sub-site of the the domain [https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/ Action Free Speech Coalition] that specifically lists all bills pushing for any form of "Age verification".
*[https://www.badinternetbills.com/ Bad Internet Bills] is a website listing quote "bad internet bills" in a easily accessible manner.
*[https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker US State Privacy Legislation Tracker] is a sub site of the domain [https://iapp.org/ Iapp] that tracks many but not all pro-privacy or consumer '''U.S''' bills that have passed or not. This includes bills that support consumer rights & bills that businesses are obligated to comply with. (Click [https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf here] to view the chart & [https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg here] to view the map in the '''U.S''')

==External Links==

*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/
*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/
*https://www.badinternetbills.com/
*https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker
*https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf
*https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg

==Further Reading==

*[[:Category:Legislation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Anti-privacy legislation]]

User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber

2026-03-06T17:53:33Z

JodyBruchonFan: A Marques Brownlee video!

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]
A '''DownloadTuber''' is an individual who regularly backs up local copies of videos from the Intenet video platform YouTube, jokingly referred to as DownloadTube. This is mainly done for archiving those videos in anticipation of them being deleted or otherwise unpublished, and for a future shutdown of YouTube as a whole.

Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57)</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos)</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent downloading:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help]</ref>

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003225255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xf6uukCHmk Download Youtube Videos Free -- No Software!] - MKBHD (later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. However, it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name=VirtualCuriosities>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref>

While YouTube Premium can be advertised as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder and accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium has.<ref name=VirtualCuriosities />

The 29-day storage limit and the data lock-in renders the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs GhostArchive mirror])</ref>

== References ==
<references />

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-06T00:07:00Z

JodyBruchonFan: :File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
[[File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png|center|frameless]]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
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| border-c = #f00
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To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

File:Scum - Do you really have a choice?.png

2026-03-06T00:02:08Z

JodyBruchonFan: == Usage rights == This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain. Source for Xiaomi logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xiaomi_logo_(2021-).svg Source for Apple logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_logo_black.svg Derivative work released into the public domain under CC0 1.0. == Licensing == {{CC0}}

== Summary ==
== Usage rights ==
This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain.

Source for Xiaomi logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xiaomi_logo_(2021-).svg
Source for Apple logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_logo_black.svg

Derivative work released into the public domain under CC0 1.0.

== Licensing == {{CC0}}
== Licensing ==
{{Fairuse}}

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-05T23:28:08Z

JodyBruchonFan: contrast improvement

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
{{Userbox
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| id-c = #400
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| info-fc = #ffffff
| info-op = #0f0

| border-c = #f00
| border-op =
| nocat = true
}}
</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-05T23:00:38Z

JodyBruchonFan: This user is a proud DownloadTuber.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----
<div style="float:right; clear:right;">
{{Userbox
| id = [[File:DownloadTube icon.png|35px|link=User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber]]
| id-c = #400
| id-fc = #ffffff
| id-op = box-shadow: 0 0 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.4);

| info = This user is a proud [[User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber|DownloadTuber]].
| info-c = #222
| info-fc = #ffffff
| info-op = #0f0

| border-c = #f00
| border-op =
| nocat = true
}}
</div>

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|center|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**
<div style="float:none; clear:both;"></div>
----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan/DownloadTuber

2026-03-05T22:58:21Z

JodyBruchonFan: created for fun

[[File:DownloadTube logo.png|thumb|People who like videos watch them. People who love videos '''own''' them. To d'''own'''load means to '''own'''.]]
A '''DownloadTuber''' is an individual who regularly backs up local copies of videos from the Intenet video platform YouTube, jokingly referred to as DownloadTube. This is mainly done for archiving those videos in anticipation of them being deleted or otherwise unpublished, and for a future shutdown of YouTube as a whole.

Creating permanent local copies of videos is strongly discouraged by YouTube.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkojLslXg5M Vsauce Answers the 100 Most Googled Questions | WIRED] (at 7:20 and 8:57)</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com:443/watch?v=IVPriyYwd-E How To Legally Download YouTube Videos] - Tim Schmoyer - Video Creators TV (clickbait - it is an advertisement for "YouTube Red", the earlier name of "YouTube Premium", and only shows the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Studio that lets channel owners download only their own uploaded videos)</ref> YouTube is taking measures to prevent downloading:

<blockquote>
In order to protect the YouTube community, we may prevent signed-out users from accessing YouTube videos when they're attempting to download material for offline use.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3037019 Troubleshoot YouTube video errors - YouTube Help]</ref>

YouTube also regularly purges tutorial videos that show how to create local copies of videos.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813001114/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyqFiUrhTc How To Download Convert YouTube Videos 2 Anything] - ifxman (later removed by YouTube)</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713154012/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLLOij1GSQ How to download youtube videos without any software] - Ritace40 later removed by YouTube)</ref>

Instead, YouTube wants its users to pay monthly for its subscription service, YouTube Premium, to have any form of offline access to videos. However, it only lets users store temporary local copies of YouTube videos that are forcibly deleted after 29 days. In addition, to thwart any permanent preservation, the videos are stored with [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|data lock-in]] and proprietary encoding in a format only recognized by the YouTube app, to prevent local copying.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260207132551/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 Archived])</ref><ref name=VirtualCuriosities>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251126100053/https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041246/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html Archived])</ref>

While YouTube Premium can be advertised as technically allowing "downloading", the deceptive marketing comes from exploiting the fact that the user expects so-called "downloading" to result in a file stored in the web browser's Download folder and accessible from other software, instead of the [[data lock-in]] that YouTube Premium has.<ref name=VirtualCuriosities />

The 29-day storage limit and the data lock-in renders the built-in "downloading" feature of YouTube Premium useless for any long-term archival.

Downloading local copies of YouTube videos through "unofficial" and "unapproved" means is the only recourse against the loss of Internet history caused by videos being unpublished by channel owners or YouTube, and against a future shutdown of YouTube. As of 2026, there is no certainty that YouTube will be operating by the year 2050, for instance.

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- Karl Voit<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit ([https://web.archive.org/web/20260216041319/https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Archived])</ref>

Videos can disappear from YouTube for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, channel owners decide to "move on" and delete (or otherwise unpublish) their entire history of uploads. Sometimes, videos contain something Google doesn't like and they take them down, one example being "Android is losing a big feature" by comedian Sam Tucker (SAMTIME).<ref>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)</ref>

Sometimes, YouTube's community guidelines grow stricter, retroactively outruling existing content, and entire channels are taken down due to strikes on only a few videos, resulting in the collateral loss of all other videos, one famous example being Mumkey Jones.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te8-ETSDgcs Mumkey Jones: YouTube's Most Wanted] - j aubrey ([https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/Te8-ETSDgcs GhostArchive mirror])</ref>

== References ==
<references />

File:DownloadTube logo.png

2026-03-05T22:51:46Z

JodyBruchonFan: == Usage rights == This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain. == Licensing == {{CC0}}

== Summary ==
== Usage rights ==
This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain.

== Licensing ==
{{CC0}}

File:DownloadTube icon.png

2026-03-05T22:45:24Z

JodyBruchonFan: == Usage rights == This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain.

== Summary ==
== Usage rights ==
This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain.

== Licensing ==
{{CC0}}

Google Chrome

2026-03-05T22:30:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* visibilitychange event */ legitimately used for autosave

{{ProductCargo
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Web Browsers
|Company=Google
|Description=
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2008
|Website=https://www.google.com/chrome/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:Google_Chrome|Google Chrome]]''' is a web browser created by [[Google]] based on [[Chromium]]. Since its inception, it has become the most used browser on the internet by a large margin.
==Consumer impact summary==
===User freedom===
Chrome significantly impacts user freedom through its default settings, extension policies, and integration with Google's ecosystem. The browser's dominance allows Google to influence web standards, potentially creating a web environment that works best with Chrome.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Munir |first1=Shaoor |last2=Kollnig |first2=Konrad |last3=Shuba |first3=Anastasia |last4=Shafiq |first4=Zubair |title=Google's Chrome Antitrust Paradox |date=April 2024 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381517906_Google's_Chrome_Antitrust_Paradox |website=ResearchGate |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260109043254/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381517906_Google's_Chrome_Antitrust_Paradox |archive-date=9 Jan 2026}}</ref> Users face potential lock-in through seamless integration with Google services, making switching to alternative browsers more difficult. Additionally, Google's control over Chrome's extension ecosystem has raised concerns, particularly when the company has proposed changes that would limit the effectiveness of ad-blocking extensions, potentially prioritizing Google's advertising business over user choice.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Danco |first=Alex |date= June 1, 2019 |title=Google Chrome, the perfect antitrust villain? |url=https://alexdanco.com/2019/05/30/google-chrome-the-perfect-antitrust-villain/ |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104002015/https://alexdanco.com/2019/05/30/google-chrome-the-perfect-antitrust-villain/ |archive-date=4 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===User privacy===
Chrome's privacy practices have been a significant concern for consumer advocates. As a Google product, Chrome collects substantial user data including browsing history, search queries, and site visits to serve targeted advertisements and improve Google services.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=The Dark Side of Google: A Closer Look at Privacy Concerns |date=March 26, 2023 |url=https://campaignsoftheworld.com/news/the-dark-side-of-google/ |website=Campaignsoftheworld.com |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260207040950/https://campaignsoftheworld.com/news/the-dark-side-of-google/ |archive-date=7 Feb 2026}}</ref> The browser's implementation of privacy features like "Do Not Track" has been criticized for being ineffective, as Google noted that "many websites and web services, including Google's, don't change their behavior when they receive a Do Not Track request."<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Turn 'Do Not Track' on or off - Computer - Google Chrome Help|url=https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2790761 |website=Google |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128221210/https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2790761 |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref> Additionally, Chrome's privacy initiatives like the Privacy Sandbox have been viewed skeptically by privacy advocates who argue that these proposals often protect Google's business interests rather than user privacy.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=EFF |title=Don't Play in Google's Privacy Sandbox |date=July 10, 2020 |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/dont-play-googles-privacy-sandbox-1 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251231094829/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/dont-play-googles-privacy-sandbox-1 |archive-date=31 Dec 2025}}</ref>
===Business model===
Chrome's business model is deeply integrated with Google's broader advertising ecosystem. The browser serves as a critical data collection point for Google's advertising business, which generates the majority of the company's revenue.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=DOJ Pushes Google to Sell Chrome and Break Monopoly |date=November 20, 2024 |url=https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2024/11/google-faces-doj-antitrust-push-will-chrome-ai-and-android-be-broken-apart/ |website=CEOToday Magazine |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260112105718/https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2024/11/google-faces-doj-antitrust-push-will-chrome-ai-and-android-be-broken-apart/ |archive-date=12 Jan 2026}}</ref> Chrome's default settings direct users to Google Search, which in turn displays Google advertisements. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle where Chrome usage fuels Google's search dominance, which consequently enhances its advertising business. The connection between Chrome and Google's advertising business has also influenced browser design decisions, such as how Chrome handles cookies and tracking, which may prioritize advertising effectiveness over user privacy.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Rivero |first=
Nicolás |title=What if antitrust regulators forced Google to sell Chrome? |date=July 20, 2022 |url=https://qz.com/1930645/what-happens-to-google-if-regulators-force-it-to-sell-off-chrome |website=Quartz |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104192633/https://qz.com/1930645/what-happens-to-google-if-regulators-force-it-to-sell-off-chrome |archive-date=4 Jan 2026}}</ref>
===Market control===
Chrome's dominant market position gives Google significant control over web standards and browser technology. With approximately 65% global market share as of 2025, Chrome has become the de facto standard browser for many users and developers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Market share of leading internet browsers in the United States and worldwide as of August 2024 |date=June 21, 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/276738/worldwide-and-us-market-share-of-leading-internet-browsers/ |website=Statista |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111194619/https://www.statista.com/statistics/276738/worldwide-and-us-market-share-of-leading-internet-browsers/ |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref> This market control allows Google to influence the direction of web technology development, often in ways that benefit its business interests. For example, Google's proposals for replacing third-party cookies through its [[wikipedia:Privacy Sandbox|Privacy Sandbox]] initiative have faced criticism for potentially strengthening Google's position while weakening competitors in the advertising ecosystem.{{Citation needed}} Chrome's market dominance has attracted significant antitrust scrutiny, with the U.S. Department of Justice pushing for Google to divest Chrome as part of remedies following an antitrust case that found Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in online search.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Elias |first=Jennifer |title=DOJ pushes for Google to break off Chrome browser after antitrust case CNBC |date=November 21, 2024 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/doj-pushes-for-google-to-break-off-chrome-browser-after-antitrust-case.html |website=CNBC |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128080710/https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/doj-pushes-for-google-to-break-off-chrome-browser-after-antitrust-case.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Anti-Competitive Practices===
Google uses the market dominance of their unrelated products and services, such as web search or cloud storage services, to display intrusive messages such as popups aimed to annoy users to the point where they give up and change to Chrome.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-08-19 |title=How do I stop Google pop ups asking me to switch my browser to Chrome? |url=https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/175747071/how-do-i-stop-google-pop-ups-asking-me-to-switch-my-browser-to-chrome?hl=en |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Google Support Community |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108065104/https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/175747071/how-do-i-stop-google-pop-ups-asking-me-to-switch-my-browser-to-chrome?hl=en |archive-date=8 Jan 2026}}</ref> Not because they want to, but to escape the deliberate obstructions Google creates for them when accessing Google services with competing browsers.

Moreover, Google has in the past deliberately degraded performance of their video platform [[YouTube]], as well as Google Docs, for users accessing the website using the competing Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Jake |date=2023-11-21 |title=How to Stop Google From Artificially Slowing Down YouTube |url=https://lifehacker.com/tech/stop-google-slowing-down-youtube-firefox-edge |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=LifeHacker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251124185357/https://lifehacker.com/tech/stop-google-slowing-down-youtube-firefox-edge |archive-date=24 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pygWS1ihtF8 The Slow Death Of Firefox...What Happened?] - Logically Answered ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=pygWS1ihtF8 Archived])</ref>

===Discontinuation of Manifest V2 support (2024)===
Google, whose main business is online advertising, has discontinued support for browser extensions using the Manifest V2 standard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222183954/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref> This renders advertising/tracking blockers such as uBlock Origin unusable and deactivates the corresponding plugins on update. Only versions with very limited blocking functionality remain usable.

Users who wish to continue to use the web without their every step being traced by Google and other advertising syndicates have no other option but to switch to a different browser such as [[Mozilla]] Firefox or Vivaldi, which have all pledged to retain full Manifest V2 compatibility in their browsers.

=== Bloat monopoly ===
Due to the dominant market share, other web browsers like Firefox are forced to comply with these standards set out by Google in order to be able to access some websites.

The total word count of the W3C specification catalogue was 114 million words as of 2020, making it impossible for anyone besides large resourceful companies to maintain a web browser able to comply with these standards, granting Google a bloat monopoly on web browsing.

In 2021, Google launched [https://lit.dev/ Lit], a web [[JavaScript]] [[wikipedia:Web_framework|framework]] that forces strict compliance with Google's web standards. It also promotes artificial obsolescence by making it impossible to render pages on older web browsers and older devices with operating systems that are unable to run the latest version of Chrome.

<ref>[https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/bloat_monopoly.html LRS Wiki: bloat_monopoly] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250901143501/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/bloat_monopoly.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.nuegia.net/articles/open%20letter%20to%20webmasters.xhtml Open Letter To Webmasters] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250907030831/https://www.nuegia.net/articles/open%20letter%20to%20webmasters.xhtml Archived])</ref><ref>[https://drewdevault.com/2020/03/18/Reckless-limitless-scope.html The reckless, infinite scope of web browsers] - Drew DeVault ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260113055131/https://drewdevault.com/2020/03/18/Reckless-limitless-scope.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://shadow.lifestyle/browsers.xhtml Browsers - Shadow Wiki] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251119174459/https://shadow.lifestyle/browsers.xhtml Archived])</ref>

=== visibilitychange event ===
Chrome was the first web browser to implement the "visibilitychange" JavaScript event. This can be used by websites to detect switching to a different tab and, for example, block background playback like the mobile website of YouTube does.<ref>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/visibilitychange_event Document: visibilitychange event - Web APIs | MDN] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260112100508/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/visibilitychange_event Archived])</ref> On Firefox, extensions can block this detection.<ref>[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-background-play-fix/ Video Background Play Fix – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260118202048/https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-background-play-fix/ Archived])</ref>

The visibilitychange event has some legitimate uses such as automatically saving draft posts on an online message board.<ref>[https://xenforo.com/community/threads/message-auto-save-drafts.27665/ Message Auto Save / Drafts | XenForo community]</ref>

=== Google account requirement to download extensions ===
Since around 2022, a Google account is required to be able to install extensions from the Google Chrome Web Store.<ref>[https://superuser.com/questions/633706/how-to-install-extensions-in-chrome-without-a-google-account How to install extensions in Chrome without a Google Account? - Super User] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251216080808/https://superuser.com/questions/633706/how-to-install-extensions-in-chrome-without-a-google-account Archived])</ref>

=== Mandatory pull-to-refresh ===
In 2019 (Chrome version 75), Google made it impossible to turn off the pull-to-refresh gesture on the mobile version of Chrome, and refused to make it possible again after a high number of complaints.

Pull-to-refresh is known for causing accidental refreshes when the user intends to scroll up.

<ref>[https://chromestory.com/2019/07/disable-pull-to-refresh-on-chrome-for-android/ You Can No Longer Disable "Pull to Refresh" on Chrome for Android - Chrome Story] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260108132655/https://chromestory.com/2019/07/disable-pull-to-refresh-on-chrome-for-android/ Archived])</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.07-180843/https://issues.chromium.org/issues/391378124 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2022.07.23-114402/https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2022.07.23-114400/https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/malware-google.html Google's Software Is Malware - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260203060955/https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/malware-google.html Archived])</ref>

==See also==
*[[Brave browser]]
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser]]
*[[Firefox]]
*[[Microsoft Edge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Projects talk:Archive everything

2026-03-05T21:34:40Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Redacted evidence is no evidence. */ question

==Note on this==

There are two main places to archive things, the Internet Archive, and archive.today if the IA says no (from my understanding). Would like to incorporate this into the article but have no clue how to lol. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 07:26, 19 November 2025 (UTC)

:Also, there is an IA extension which I use, it makes archiving extremely easy. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 07:29, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! I'll add this into the 'What you need to do' bit [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 08:52, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
::Which extension do you use in particular? addons dot mozilla dot org has several and it would be useful to have a recommendation.
::By the way, Archive.today has a "Install Firefox Extension" button which leads to its github repo and the user can install it by Releases (right side), downloading the .zip and installing it through Manage your Add-Ons > Install from file. The explanation may be helpful for less tech-savvy wiki people. [[User:Raster|Raster]] ([[User talk:Raster|talk]]) 08:32, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:::Firefox: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/wayback-machine_new/]
:::Chrome (ew): [https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/waybackmachine/fpnmgdkabkmnadcjpehmlllkndpkmiak?hl=en-US]
:::Rest can be found at bottom left of https://web.archive.org/ [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 16:01, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:::worryingly, it looks like archive.today is down at the moment. I'm hoping this is not a permenant thing, as I think they were getting into some legal squabbles recently [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 17:46, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
::::nvm, might just be a firefox thing? [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 17:57, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
::::up for me right now and I'm using LibreWolf (a fork of firefox). [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 17:58, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:There's also https://preservetube.com/ and https://ghostarchive.org/ both of which I saw used to archive a few references, and had added to the list but unfortunately my edit updating the list entries all the way up to and including F was lost in a merge error. [[Special:Contributions/185.230.125.6|185.230.125.6]] 00:11, 23 January 2026 (UTC)
::Worth looking at for other options. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 06:38, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

==LIES!==

a lot of the ones that say "Yes" are not infact very yes.

[[1Password#cite_note-14]]

[[4k_Video_Downloader%2B#cite_note-4KVD-1]], [[4k_Video_Downloader%2B#cite_note-4KDL-2]]

[[Activision_Blizzard#cite_note-6]]

[[Adobe#cite_note-1]], [[Adobe#cite_ref-8]] [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 19:04, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

:please update before I call the police [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 19:05, 23 January 2026 (UTC)
::Archived em and updated the list accordingly, thanks for pointing them out since some of the older entries like those might be less accurate, cheers! (pls don't call the cops) [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 22:48, 23 January 2026 (UTC)
:::I nearly placed the call but the situation's resolved itself. good work people keep it up [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 09:43, 24 January 2026 (UTC)

==Should we archive videos?==

I was looking through the [[Amazon]] page and noticed there's nearly two dozen video references. Video files are way bigger than webpage snapshots, and it shows by PreserveTube being the only one listed on this page (implying that if there's another archive for that purpose, it's not too popular).

For references leaning more on video, would it be better for one to work toward finding non-video references as well? e.g. finding websites that Louis shows in his videos? It would be a mountain of work, but as the saying goes we can't put all our archive (eggs) in one basket (host). [[User:Raster|Raster]] ([[User talk:Raster|talk]]) 18:12, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

:Yeah, I'd say that, where possible, we should prefer to archive webpages/documents over videos, especially when the it's the original/primary source and the video only references it. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 15:10, 6 February 2026 (UTC)
::PreserveTube seems good for archiving videos. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:37, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

==Archive.today==

With the recent controversy (see the related {{Wplink|Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Archive.is RFC 5|Wikipedia community conversation}}), where does that leave citations that have no easy replacement?

An example I have for this is the [[Vont]] article page that I created last year, specifically the passage regarding Vont's store page on Amazon and its activity. I first tried using Internet Archive, but it had resulted in an error — which led me to use Archive.today. And originally, I hadn't even planned on multiple captures but that changed when I noticed the postings looked different while I was drafting the article in my sandbox.

I just tried archiving their Amazon storefront page using the IA and it actually worked ''this'' time, so ''hopefully'' I'll be able to "re-build" the archival links that'll still illustrate the same point (see the [https://archive.is/https://www.amazon.com/s?srs=19824332011&rh=p_89:Vont archive.is history] for comparison). But if not, I would rather the citations be left alone in this instance.

Any other thoughts? — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 05:46, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

:"[...] an analysis of existing links has shown that most of its uses can be replaced. Several editors started to work out implementation details during this RfC and the community should figure out how to efficiently remove links to archive.today."
:I think it wise to follow in the footsteps of this conclusion of the Wikipedia RFC: making a best-effort to replace all Archive.today links with alternatives. It will probably be a slow process anyhow, and any content that is difficult to archive on IA or elsewhere can be left until last, by which time hopefully we will have found a suitable Archive.today replacement for such content. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 18:00, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

:UPDATE: Since the Wayback Machine has proven to be unreliable in the instance I provided, I'll have to splice together the captures and upload to CRW. Not ideal, but the community is determined to rid itself of any Archive.today usage and I will do my best to comply. — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 00:33, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

==Automation? List updating?==

I see many of the pages listed as not archived have been updated by [[User:Bananabot|Bananabot]] (usually early today), which is as its name implies, a bot.

Eg: [[Cerberus]], [[Cloudflare]], [[Denon HEOS Speakers]]

Is there a plan to segment pages into the ones humans need to add archive links to, vs ones that a bot can take care of? It's great if this task can be automated, and if so, it would be nice if we carbon-based contributors could focus on those pages the bot(s) can't handle. Or is there a way we ourselves can look at a page and determine that?

And when we add archive links, do we need to manually update "The list" with the new status for those pages? Or is the list updated through some automatic process periodically? (I looked at some history and can't tell.) Either way, could mention of that be added to the directions? Thanks! [[User:Marc84|Marc84]] ([[User talk:Marc84|talk]]) 20:06, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

:Hi, I'd like to first say that Bananabot is not a bot made by the CRW team, it is made by [[User:Banana]] (who sounds pretty cool btw). I think we should manually update the table for now unless Banana wants to code that in themself. There's no plan to segment pages, we only recently got an archiving bot anyway. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:35, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
:The list is currently manually maintained, I think it would be lovely if it could be automated, it took a fair amount of human effort to initially fill it out and standardise its look.
:I'm not sure how Bananabot or similar work and which pages bots can or cannot handle. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 20:37, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
::It would indeed be good, but it depends on whether Banana (who is simply a volunteer, not someone who is paid) wants to code it. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:44, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Also, due to how archiving works, Bananabot is (i think) able to handle all pages the IA can. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:45, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Bananabot can handle everything that IA can save. Right now limits are rate on IA itself (itgets rate limited + uploading takes quite a while). About project page table - I'll check out if I can automate it [[User:Banana|Banana]] ([[User talk:Banana|talk]]) 10:05, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:Thanks for all the answers! And cool bot, @[[User:Banana|Banana]]. [[User:Marc84|Marc84]] ([[User talk:Marc84|talk]]) 22:12, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

==Redacted evidence is no evidence.==

So the main reason Archive.Today is supposedly untrustworthy is that they supposedly falsified snapshots.

Of course, this would be very bad if it were true, but if you actually dig to the bottom of the Archive.Today drama, past the sensationalized news articles by Ars Technica and others, you end up on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Archive.is_RFC_5#Evidence_of_altering_snapshots Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Archive.is RFC 5 § Evidence of altering snapshots].

Now, let's see what groundbreaking evidence they have, shall we?

<blockquote>
*<s style="font-style:italic; color:#565656">(Redacted)</s> ~2026-10956-05 12:48, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
::Where exactly are you getting this information from? MEN KISSING 13:13, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Your link returns a 404 error. <s style="font-style:italic; color:#565656">(Redacted)</s> sapphaline 13:26, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
</blockquote>
(signatures shortened to usernames only)

Awesome. "Just take our word for it, bro!"

Sorry, but if someone can't show me actual evidence, I don't trust it, and neither should you. If you can't see it, it might as well not exist. Redacted evidence doesn't count. Don't give credence to it. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 10:41, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

:The evidence is archived further down that Wiki RFC thread. There are IA and Megalodon archives of the Archive.today page showing "Nora Puchreiner" being altered to show "Jani Patokallio". The original Archive.today snapshot has since been reverted back to the original "Nora Puchreiner", but the Megalodon and IA archives are existing evidence of the snapshot having indeed been altered at a certain point in time. Just a single minor instance, however insignificant, of snapshots being altered completely invalidates the reliability of Archive.today as an archival service. That is all, of course, not mentioning the character of the individual Archive.today admin being petty and malign enough to direct visitors' traffic to unknowingly DDoS someone's personal blog site and levy various additional threats, which in my mind is alone enough of a reason to cease using their service. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 16:31, 2 March 2026 (UTC)
::I agree that falsifying snapshots is a severe breach of trust, but: "The evidence is archived further down that Wiki RFC thread." - If it is the same evidence, what was the point of redacting the original evidence in the first place? [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 21:34, 5 March 2026 (UTC)

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-05T21:05:46Z

JodyBruchonFan: quotation marks

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be "protected".
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**

----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-03-05T21:02:12Z

JodyBruchonFan: What Google "protection" really means.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:500px;text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|-
| colspan=5 |
<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:30pt; color:black;">
The corporate bullshit bingo!</div>
by JodyBruchonFan CC0 1.0 public domain
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4; min-width:100px;"|"innovation"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"courage"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"trusted"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"sustainability"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"industry leader"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"upgrade"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"confident"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"(cyber)security", "safety", "feel safe"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"we understand..., but..."
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"intellectual property"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"our mission", "our commitment"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"streamlined", "seamless"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"protect"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"empower"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"unauthorized"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"we strive"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"unprecedented"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"integrity"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:black; background-color:#FBBC05;"|"(re)shape", "refine"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"genuine"
|-
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"pushing boundaries"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"community"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#EA4335;"|"rights"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#4285F4;"|"redefine", "reinvent", "revolutionize"
|style="height:100px; border:0; color:white; background-color:#34A853;"|"explore"
|-
|}

----

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; font-size:24pt; color:black;">
You will own nothing, and you will be protected.
</div>

----

One of my favourite songs: [https://www.jodybruchon.com/2020/05/20/manny-the-martyr-be-that-way-mp3-public-domain-cc0-royalty-free-music/ Manny the Martyr - Be That Way], also known as the Jody Bruchon theme song! And it is in the public domain!

----

DRM = Digital Restrictions Malware.

----

Even if the DMCA disappeared today, the damage done in decades under its stranglehold will not be undone anytime soon.

----

I honestly used to believe this "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" nonsense. Now I know how wrong I was. [https://old.bitchute.com/video/Hjspu7QV7O0/ Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide - The Hated One].

[https://old.bitchute.com/video/AuT5N3U1dGY/ This is a WAR on privacy and YOU are the enemy. - The Hated One]

----

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON6-UL5phEs It's time to cut off Great Britain and Australia from the Internet.]

----

== If Google were honest ==
Of course, nothing we do will change Google's mind about their technofascist [[Android Developer Verification|developer verification program]], but what we can do is make fun of the absurdity of their propaganda.

<gallery>
File:If Google were honest - Android developer verification.png|Original
File:If Google were honest - brick edition.png|Brick edition
File:If Google were honest - fewer apps.png|Fewer apps
File:If Google were honest - showering you with corporate buzzwords.png|Showering you with corporate buzzwords
File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png|disconnected
</gallery>

----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38pZ9pFXA0 Do not accept the premise of assholes - Louis Rossmann]

----
Do not rely on Google services for anything long-term.

https://KilledByGoogle.com/

https://gcemetery.co/

"Google is an archive in the same way a supermarket is a food museum." - Jason Scott Sadofsky.

----

To download means to own. (Without [[Data_lock-in#Videos_downloaded_inside_the_YouTube_app|YouTube Premium's data lock-in]]!)

The main purpose of YouTube is downloading videos to keep them alive after they are taken down from YouTube and after YouTube inevitably shuts down.

YouTube employee who reads this: **TRIGGERED**

----

== The video Google doesn't want you to see ==
<center><big>[https://odysee.com/@samtime:1/android-is-losing-a-big-feature:e Android is losing a big feature] by SAMTIME</big>

([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccCB2Vz-M Original YouTube URL] - removed for unspecified violations.)
</center>

----

== Ice piracy ==
The fridge and freezer made externally produced ice nearly obsolete. See "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVYHNTDOFs How The Fridge Destroyed One of the World's Largest Monopolies]" by Veritasium, at 18 minutes.

If a freezer was invented in today's political environment, the establishment would have labelled it "ice piracy".

When established authorities (like MPAA, RIAA, Disney, ...) meet competition (like Internet file sharing), they simply ban their competition (DMCA).

<blockquote>
... and then, before you know it, copyright law was updated to take the Internet into account.
</blockquote>
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-VEB4NLGMM&t=348 The Tragic Fall Of µTorrent - NationSquid], 5:48

<blockquote>
[Copyright] is a mechanism that by definition smothers true, useful progress -- in a world that advanced technologically so much that it is already possible to freely copy and share information instantly, with zero cost, with anyone anywhere, copyright tries to set up artificial measures to prevent this so as to keep the old ways of allowing only the privileged to copy and publish intellectual works, it is quite literally force sustaining mechanism of Middle Ages.
</blockquote>
- [https://archive.today/2025.10.04-120135/http://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/copyright.html Miloslav Číž, Czech philosopher].

See also "food piracy" in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UgiJPnwtQU Cream by David Firth]" (8:07) (mirrors: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dtmd6 Dailymotion], [https://archive.org/details/cream-by-david-firth Internet Archive]), and [https://old.bitchute.com/video/QVkeJI2feyQ/ Why copyright makes no sense | The case against intellectual property] by [https://old.bitchute.com/channel/thehatedone/ The Hated One].

----
Every website with no decentralized backups will eventually be lost to history.

<blockquote>
Issue: No Backup, No Distribution

For reasons and examples stated in [https://karl-voit.at/cloud this article], any centralized web-based service will go offline some day. Some sooner, some later. Popularity is not even a guarantee that a service gets continued, as you can see with [https://killedbygoogle.com/ hundreds of (partly) very well known and widely used Google services that were shut down]. Nothing will be on the web forever. Most people are not aware of this fact.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/2020/10/23/avoid-web-forums/ Karl Voit]

<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
- [https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ Karl Voit]

----
Anti-features like [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome's mandatory pull-to-refresh]] are "helpful" to the user in the same way SpongeBob was "helpful" to Squidward in the episode "[http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=The_Paper_(Episode)#Plot The Paper]".

----
== Noticing similar patterns ==
When I hear Google saying they want to "keep Android open" ([[Android Developer Verification]]) while blatantly doing the opposite, I am instantly reminded of that scene where Bryant Moreland (EDP445) claimed he was just looking for a cupcake. Similar levels of shamelessness, absurdity, and similar in taking advantage of people with little recourse, even though within different contexts. I am not going to explain the story with Moreland here; you can go look it up if you don't already know.

While what Moreland was trying to do was more serious on a small scale and was easily thwarted, what Google is doing with their developer verification program happens on a much larger scale. It impacts potentially over a hundred million people worldwide.

From the Merriam Webster dictionary:
<blockquote>
predator [noun]:

[...]

2 : one who injures or exploits others for personal gain '''or profit'''
<blockquote>
Businessmen, he believed, were often predators … — Nathan Glick
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
(souce: [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predator Merriam Webster], bolded for emphasis)

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

<div style="text-align:center; display:block; font-family:aharoni, Futura-Bold, futura,'noto sans',ubuntu,'bitstream vera sans',sans-serif; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.5em; color:black;">
EDP445
</div>

----

If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it.

----
{| class=wikitable
| Every contribution I make while this notice is on my user page is hereby released into the public domain under CC0 1.0 (see [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ creativecommons.org]), excluding fair use elements such as quotations.
|}
__NOTOC__

Bait-and-switch

2026-02-26T21:13:23Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Historical cases */ clarified

'''Bait-and-switch''' is the action of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, with the intention of substituting inferior or more expensive goods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=bait-and-switch |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bait-and-switch |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251017040547/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bait-and-switch |archive-date=17 Oct 2025}}</ref> The measures against this practice depend greatly upon the consumer laws in each country, but it is usually considered under unfair and deceptive transactions.

==Legality==
In the United States, the [[Federal Trade Commission|Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) has issued a Notice that it has determined that bait and switch sales practices are unfair or deceptive trade practices, and violate the FTC Act.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penalty Offenses Concerning Bait & Switch |url=https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206233839/https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SYNOPSIS OF FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION DECISIONS CONCERNING “BAIT AND SWITCH” SALES PRACTICES |url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Bait-Switch.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250412220410/https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Bait-Switch.pdf |archive-date=12 Apr 2025 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC}}</ref> And in December 2024, the Commission announced a "Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees", in an effort to end the hidden fees when buying tickets or accomodation:<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Dec 2024 |title=Federal Trade Commission Announces Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/federal-trade-commission-announces-bipartisan-rule-banning-junk-ticket-hotel-fees |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250409110141/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/federal-trade-commission-announces-bipartisan-rule-banning-junk-ticket-hotel-fees |archive-date=9 Apr 2025 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC}}</ref><blockquote>"The Junk Fees Rule will ensure that pricing information is presented in a timely, transparent, and truthful way to consumers of live-event tickets and short-term lodging, two industries whose pricing practices the Commission has studied in particular. Consumers searching for hotels or vacation rentals or seats at a show or sporting event will no longer be surprised by a pile of “resort,” “convenience,” or “service” fees inflating the advertised price. By requiring up-front disclosure of total price including fees, the rule will make comparison shopping easier, resulting in savings for consumers and leveling the competitive playing field."

FTC, Press Release. December 17, 2024</blockquote>The aim of this rule is to force companies and sellers of these goods to be more transparent.

==Recent cases==

*FTC Sends More Than $1.1 Million in Refunds to Consumers Deceived by Bait-and-Switch Ads for LASIK Vision Correction Procedures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 Oct 2024 |title=FTC Sends More Than $1.1 Million in Refunds to Consumers Deceived by Bait-and-Switch Ads for LASIK Vision Correction Procedures |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-11-million-refunds-consumers-deceived-bait-switch-ads-lasik-vision-correction |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203064951/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-11-million-refunds-consumers-deceived-bait-switch-ads-lasik-vision-correction |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Historical cases==
Android smartphone manufacturers used initial respect to user freedom to gain market share. For example user-replaceable batteries. After they gained enough market share, they switched to non-replaceable batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Louis Rossmann |title=EU votes to mandate removable batteries in smartphones in a landslide; no more glued together junk! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years in addition to making new applications such as file managers less useful.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google without taking extreme measures like bootloader unlocking, rooting, and potentially flashing an alternative operating system. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.

Reddit added a paywall to their API in 2023 after it was free of charge for many years. This change rendered third-party clients like "Apollo" unuseable and made archiving the history of Reddit far more difficult ([[Reddit#API_paywall,_June_2023|more details]]).

==See also==

*[[Post-purchase EULA modification]]
*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]
*[[Retroactive policy enforcement]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Anti-consumer practices]]
[[Category:Common terms]]

Bait-and-switch

2026-02-26T21:05:20Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Historical cases */ clarified

'''Bait-and-switch''' is the action of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, with the intention of substituting inferior or more expensive goods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=bait-and-switch |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bait-and-switch |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251017040547/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bait-and-switch |archive-date=17 Oct 2025}}</ref> The measures against this practice depend greatly upon the consumer laws in each country, but it is usually considered under unfair and deceptive transactions.

==Legality==
In the United States, the [[Federal Trade Commission|Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) has issued a Notice that it has determined that bait and switch sales practices are unfair or deceptive trade practices, and violate the FTC Act.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penalty Offenses Concerning Bait & Switch |url=https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206233839/https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SYNOPSIS OF FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION DECISIONS CONCERNING “BAIT AND SWITCH” SALES PRACTICES |url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Bait-Switch.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250412220410/https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Bait-Switch.pdf |archive-date=12 Apr 2025 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC}}</ref> And in December 2024, the Commission announced a "Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees", in an effort to end the hidden fees when buying tickets or accomodation:<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Dec 2024 |title=Federal Trade Commission Announces Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/federal-trade-commission-announces-bipartisan-rule-banning-junk-ticket-hotel-fees |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250409110141/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/federal-trade-commission-announces-bipartisan-rule-banning-junk-ticket-hotel-fees |archive-date=9 Apr 2025 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC}}</ref><blockquote>"The Junk Fees Rule will ensure that pricing information is presented in a timely, transparent, and truthful way to consumers of live-event tickets and short-term lodging, two industries whose pricing practices the Commission has studied in particular. Consumers searching for hotels or vacation rentals or seats at a show or sporting event will no longer be surprised by a pile of “resort,” “convenience,” or “service” fees inflating the advertised price. By requiring up-front disclosure of total price including fees, the rule will make comparison shopping easier, resulting in savings for consumers and leveling the competitive playing field."

FTC, Press Release. December 17, 2024</blockquote>The aim of this rule is to force companies and sellers of these goods to be more transparent.

==Recent cases==

*FTC Sends More Than $1.1 Million in Refunds to Consumers Deceived by Bait-and-Switch Ads for LASIK Vision Correction Procedures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 Oct 2024 |title=FTC Sends More Than $1.1 Million in Refunds to Consumers Deceived by Bait-and-Switch Ads for LASIK Vision Correction Procedures |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-11-million-refunds-consumers-deceived-bait-switch-ads-lasik-vision-correction |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203064951/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-11-million-refunds-consumers-deceived-bait-switch-ads-lasik-vision-correction |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Historical cases==
Android smartphone manufacturers used initial respect to user freedom to gain market share. For example user-replaceable batteries. After they gained enough market share, they switched to non-replaceable batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Louis Rossmann |title=EU votes to mandate removable batteries in smartphones in a landslide; no more glued together junk! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google without taking extreme measures like bootloader unlocking, rooting, and potentially flashing an alternative operating system. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.

Reddit added a paywall to their API in 2023 after it was free of charge for many years. This change rendered third-party clients like "Apollo" unuseable and made archiving the history of Reddit far more difficult ([[Reddit#API_paywall,_June_2023|more details]]).

==See also==

*[[Post-purchase EULA modification]]
*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]
*[[Retroactive policy enforcement]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Anti-consumer practices]]
[[Category:Common terms]]

Bait-and-switch

2026-02-26T21:03:19Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Historical cases */ Android openness is history. And Reddit API.

'''Bait-and-switch''' is the action of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, with the intention of substituting inferior or more expensive goods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=bait-and-switch |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bait-and-switch |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251017040547/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bait-and-switch |archive-date=17 Oct 2025}}</ref> The measures against this practice depend greatly upon the consumer laws in each country, but it is usually considered under unfair and deceptive transactions.

==Legality==
In the United States, the [[Federal Trade Commission|Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) has issued a Notice that it has determined that bait and switch sales practices are unfair or deceptive trade practices, and violate the FTC Act.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penalty Offenses Concerning Bait & Switch |url=https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206233839/https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SYNOPSIS OF FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION DECISIONS CONCERNING “BAIT AND SWITCH” SALES PRACTICES |url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Bait-Switch.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250412220410/https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Bait-Switch.pdf |archive-date=12 Apr 2025 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC}}</ref> And in December 2024, the Commission announced a "Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees", in an effort to end the hidden fees when buying tickets or accomodation:<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Dec 2024 |title=Federal Trade Commission Announces Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/federal-trade-commission-announces-bipartisan-rule-banning-junk-ticket-hotel-fees |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250409110141/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/federal-trade-commission-announces-bipartisan-rule-banning-junk-ticket-hotel-fees |archive-date=9 Apr 2025 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC}}</ref><blockquote>"The Junk Fees Rule will ensure that pricing information is presented in a timely, transparent, and truthful way to consumers of live-event tickets and short-term lodging, two industries whose pricing practices the Commission has studied in particular. Consumers searching for hotels or vacation rentals or seats at a show or sporting event will no longer be surprised by a pile of “resort,” “convenience,” or “service” fees inflating the advertised price. By requiring up-front disclosure of total price including fees, the rule will make comparison shopping easier, resulting in savings for consumers and leveling the competitive playing field."

FTC, Press Release. December 17, 2024</blockquote>The aim of this rule is to force companies and sellers of these goods to be more transparent.

==Recent cases==

*FTC Sends More Than $1.1 Million in Refunds to Consumers Deceived by Bait-and-Switch Ads for LASIK Vision Correction Procedures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 Oct 2024 |title=FTC Sends More Than $1.1 Million in Refunds to Consumers Deceived by Bait-and-Switch Ads for LASIK Vision Correction Procedures |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-11-million-refunds-consumers-deceived-bait-switch-ads-lasik-vision-correction |url-status=live |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |website=FTC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203064951/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-11-million-refunds-consumers-deceived-bait-switch-ads-lasik-vision-correction |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Historical cases==
Android smartphone manufacturers used initial respect to user freedom to gain market share. For example user-replaceable batteries. After they gained enough market share, they switched to non-replaceable batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Louis Rossmann |title=EU votes to mandate removable batteries in smartphones in a landslide; no more glued together junk! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.

Reddit added a paywall to their API in 2023 after it was free of charge for many years. This change rendered third-party clients like "Apollo" unuseable and made archiving the history of Reddit far more difficult ([[Reddit#API_paywall,_June_2023|more details]]).

==See also==

*[[Post-purchase EULA modification]]
*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]
*[[Retroactive policy enforcement]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Anti-consumer practices]]
[[Category:Common terms]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-02-26T20:52:45Z

JodyBruchonFan: If it can be remotely disabled, you don't own it. + more content

Screenshot blocking

2026-02-25T14:38:44Z

JodyBruchonFan: Added citation and removed ownership violation apologia.

{{ToneWarning}}{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Makes specific claims without citations}}
'''Screenshot blocking''' prevents the owner of a computing device from capturing screenshots and screen recordings. Some operating systems such as Android OS and iOS let app makers block the device owners from capturing screenshots and screen recordings of certain content. This may be done to prevent copyrighted content from being copied, such as Netflix blocking screenshots of the app<ref name=netflix-vdocipher>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Vishal |date=2026-01-14 |title=Netflix DRM: How & Why of Encrypted Video Security (2025)? |url=https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=vdocipher |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251015170902/https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2022/05/netflix-drm/ |archive-date=15 Oct 2025}}</ref>. However, some instances of screenshot blocking may be seen as excessive and unnecessary in some cases, thus violating ownership of consumers by unreasonably limiting what they are allowed to do with their devices.

==How it works==
Blocking screenshots is typically an in-app technology, not something that automatically applies across all apps or devices. Here's how it works, depending on the platform:

On Android, apps can block screenshots using a flag called: WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE. When this flag is set on an activity, it prevents the content from being captured in screenshots, screen recordings, and even in the app switcher (recent apps view). This is often used by apps like, banking apps, streaming services (e.g., Netflix), and secure messaging apps.<ref>[https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams WindowManager.LayoutParams | API reference | Android Developers]</ref><ref name=netflix-vdocipher />

On iOS, iOS does not give developers an official flag like FLAG_SECURE, but they use workarounds, like displaying sensitive content in a UIView with custom rendering, then hiding or blurring it when the app detects screenshot events or apps going into background or app switcher{{Citation needed}}.

On desktop systems, blocking screenshots is more difficult because users have full control over the operating system, there is no built-in flag to prevent screenshots. Third-party tools or system-level protections are needed. Although, enterprise apps may block screenshots using digital Rights Management (DRM), virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), or overlay detection / screen capture prevention libraries{{Citation needed}}.

==Why it happens==
Companies tend to block screenshots for the following reasons:

'''Protecting sensitive information'''

Apps that handle financial data (banks, payment apps) or confidential documents may block screenshots to reduce the risk of accidental data leaks. Screenshots could be captured and shared without consent, which could expose personal information like account numbers or passwords.

'''Content protection and licensing'''

Media apps (streaming services, e-books, and some news apps) sometimes block screenshots or recordings to prevent piracy or unauthorized redistribution of copyrighted content. Examples include Netflix and Spotify. However, there are legitimate uses such as quotations, which falls under fair use.

'''Privacy of other users'''

Messaging apps may prevent screenshots in certain contexts to protect the privacy of the other party. One such example are "disappearing messages" in WhatsApp.

'''Regulatory or contractual requirements'''

In some industries, companies must comply with legal rules around data protection or digital content licensing, which may include preventing local copies from being made.

==Why it is a problem==

===Impedes ownership===
On desktop operating systems like Windows and Linux, users have always been able to take screenshots or recordings of whatever is on their screen, without programs being able to block it. By contrast, many mobile apps restrict or disable this feature. This raises concerns because it limits a device owner’s ability to fully use their own device. Since a smartphone is personal property, users should retain control over its features, including the ability to capture their own screen rather than having that option dictated by app developers.

===Overuse===
Some apps implement screenshot blocking in situations where it is unnecessary. For example, since 2018, Chrome has blocked screenshots while in incognito mode. It is unclear what this restriction is meant to protect against, given that incognito browsing already functions by not saving history or cookies.
There are also many legitimate reasons to take a screenshot in incognito mode. Developers may need to capture how a website looks to first-time visitors, or users might want to save information temporarily without adding it to their browsing history. In these cases, blocking screenshots serves no meaningful security purpose and only prevents the device owner from using their phone’s features as intended.

==Incidents==

===ALDI TALK===
Earlier in 2025, the German cellular provider ALDI TALK blocked screenshots throughout its entire app.{{CitationNeeded}} The app displays information such as how much high-speed data a subscriber has remaining. Blocking screenshots of such basic information seems unnecessary, and applying the restriction across the entire app because some “private” content might appear in certain sections is excessive.

===Whatsapp===
The developers of [[WhatsApp]] have threatened with blocking screenshots inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref>.
</blockquote>[[WhatsApp]] blocked screenshots of profile pictures in 2024, excusing it with "protecting privacy".<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.12.22-151106/https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 About profile photo screenshot blocking | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> The reason this is dubious is that '''everyone knows putting private stuff in a visible spot on the Internet is a bad idea to begin with.''' This includes profile pictures.

==It's a local file==
When you take a screenshot, the screenshot is stored locally inside the encrypted internal storage of your smartphone, protected with your lockscreen credentials. It is not going to be sent to anyone unless you manually chose to do it. As a local file, it remains fully under your control.

Anyone determined enough can still photograph the screen from an external device. The only difference is that it is in a lower quality, but for alphanumerical stuff like banking details and text-based messages, that doesn't matter.

==External displays==
The "SECURE" flag on Android is responsible for screenshot blocking and screen recording blocking. However, it has another purpose: It prevents content from appearing on external displays such as HDMI and Miracast (over-the-air screen mirroring).

Screen contents can only appear on an external screens if the smartphone owner has chosen to connect an external screen. If the owner does private stuff, they should disconnect the external screen anyway.

Ways to solve this would be to let the user chose which apps can appear on external displays, or let the user decide whether they want to hide content flagged by the app developers as "SECURE".

The "SECURE" flag is not just used to hide "sensitive" content, but also by streaming service providers to prevent screenshots and screen recordings, even though there are legitimate purposes for it (fair use). As a side effect, you can not connect your phone to a TV or monitor to watch on a big screen, so you have to hope the TV has native support for your streaming provider.

In any case, the device owner must have the final say.

==Third-party screen recorders==
Another reason cited for screenshot/screen recorder blocking is the narrow possibility that third-party screen recorder apps contain spyware.

Third-party apps can only capture the screen if the phone owner allows them. It would make sense to let the user decide which third-party apps can capture content marked as "SECURE". But the pre-installed screenshot and screen recording tool should never be blocked because they don't contain spyware (unless the phone maker chose to put it in, in which case you would have a much greater problem). If users wish to guarantee that their screen recorder software does not contain spyware, they can utilise open source screen recorders.

In any case, there is no reason to block the '''built-in''' screenshot and screen recording tools just because misbehaving third-party apps may be out there.

==Screenshot detection==
Android 14 has added a "screenshot event" and Android 15 a "screen recording event." This makes allows apps to register when the owner takes a screenshot or screen recording. An online poll shows most users are opposed to screenshot detection.<ref>[https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Android 14's screenshot detection system is getting adopted by more apps] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251212004411/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-14-screenshot-detection-api-3389527/ Archived])</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Common terms]]

Projects talk:Archive everything

2026-02-25T10:41:53Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Redacted evidence is no evidence. */ new section

==Note on this==

There are two main places to archive things, the Internet Archive, and archive.today if the IA says no (from my understanding). Would like to incorporate this into the article but have no clue how to lol. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 07:26, 19 November 2025 (UTC)

:Also, there is an IA extension which I use, it makes archiving extremely easy. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 07:29, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! I'll add this into the 'What you need to do' bit [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 08:52, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
::Which extension do you use in particular? addons dot mozilla dot org has several and it would be useful to have a recommendation.
::By the way, Archive.today has a "Install Firefox Extension" button which leads to its github repo and the user can install it by Releases (right side), downloading the .zip and installing it through Manage your Add-Ons > Install from file. The explanation may be helpful for less tech-savvy wiki people. [[User:Raster|Raster]] ([[User talk:Raster|talk]]) 08:32, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:::Firefox: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/wayback-machine_new/]
:::Chrome (ew): [https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/waybackmachine/fpnmgdkabkmnadcjpehmlllkndpkmiak?hl=en-US]
:::Rest can be found at bottom left of https://web.archive.org/ [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 16:01, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:::worryingly, it looks like archive.today is down at the moment. I'm hoping this is not a permenant thing, as I think they were getting into some legal squabbles recently [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 17:46, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
::::nvm, might just be a firefox thing? [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 17:57, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
::::up for me right now and I'm using LibreWolf (a fork of firefox). [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 17:58, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:There's also https://preservetube.com/ and https://ghostarchive.org/ both of which I saw used to archive a few references, and had added to the list but unfortunately my edit updating the list entries all the way up to and including F was lost in a merge error. [[Special:Contributions/185.230.125.6|185.230.125.6]] 00:11, 23 January 2026 (UTC)
::Worth looking at for other options. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 06:38, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

==LIES!==

a lot of the ones that say "Yes" are not infact very yes.

[[1Password#cite_note-14]]

[[4k_Video_Downloader%2B#cite_note-4KVD-1]], [[4k_Video_Downloader%2B#cite_note-4KDL-2]]

[[Activision_Blizzard#cite_note-6]]

[[Adobe#cite_note-1]], [[Adobe#cite_ref-8]] [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 19:04, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

:please update before I call the police [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 19:05, 23 January 2026 (UTC)
::Archived em and updated the list accordingly, thanks for pointing them out since some of the older entries like those might be less accurate, cheers! (pls don't call the cops) [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 22:48, 23 January 2026 (UTC)
:::I nearly placed the call but the situation's resolved itself. good work people keep it up [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 09:43, 24 January 2026 (UTC)

==Should we archive videos?==

I was looking through the [[Amazon]] page and noticed there's nearly two dozen video references. Video files are way bigger than webpage snapshots, and it shows by PreserveTube being the only one listed on this page (implying that if there's another archive for that purpose, it's not too popular).

For references leaning more on video, would it be better for one to work toward finding non-video references as well? e.g. finding websites that Louis shows in his videos? It would be a mountain of work, but as the saying goes we can't put all our archive (eggs) in one basket (host). [[User:Raster|Raster]] ([[User talk:Raster|talk]]) 18:12, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

:Yeah, I'd say that, where possible, we should prefer to archive webpages/documents over videos, especially when the it's the original/primary source and the video only references it. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 15:10, 6 February 2026 (UTC)
::PreserveTube seems good for archiving videos. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:37, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

==Archive.today==

With the recent controversy (see the related {{Wplink|Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Archive.is RFC 5|Wikipedia community conversation}}), where does that leave citations that have no easy replacement?

An example I have for this is the [[Vont]] article page that I created last year, specifically the passage regarding Vont's store page on Amazon and its activity. I first tried using Internet Archive, but it had resulted in an error — which led me to use Archive.today. And originally, I hadn't even planned on multiple captures but that changed when I noticed the postings looked different while I was drafting the article in my sandbox.

I just tried archiving their Amazon storefront page using the IA and it actually worked ''this'' time, so ''hopefully'' I'll be able to "re-build" the archival links that'll still illustrate the same point (see the [https://archive.is/https://www.amazon.com/s?srs=19824332011&rh=p_89:Vont archive.is history] for comparison). But if not, I would rather the citations be left alone in this instance.

Any other thoughts? — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 05:46, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

:"[...] an analysis of existing links has shown that most of its uses can be replaced. Several editors started to work out implementation details during this RfC and the community should figure out how to efficiently remove links to archive.today."
:I think it wise to follow in the footsteps of this conclusion of the Wikipedia RFC: making a best-effort to replace all Archive.today links with alternatives. It will probably be a slow process anyhow, and any content that is difficult to archive on IA or elsewhere can be left until last, by which time hopefully we will have found a suitable Archive.today replacement for such content. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 18:00, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

:UPDATE: Since the Wayback Machine has proven to be unreliable in the instance I provided, I'll have to splice together the captures and upload to CRW. Not ideal, but the community is determined to rid itself of any Archive.today usage and I will do my best to comply. — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 00:33, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

==Automation? List updating?==

I see many of the pages listed as not archived have been updated by [[User:Bananabot|Bananabot]] (usually early today), which is as its name implies, a bot.

Eg: [[Cerberus]], [[Cloudflare]], [[Denon HEOS Speakers]]

Is there a plan to segment pages into the ones humans need to add archive links to, vs ones that a bot can take care of? It's great if this task can be automated, and if so, it would be nice if we carbon-based contributors could focus on those pages the bot(s) can't handle. Or is there a way we ourselves can look at a page and determine that?

And when we add archive links, do we need to manually update "The list" with the new status for those pages? Or is the list updated through some automatic process periodically? (I looked at some history and can't tell.) Either way, could mention of that be added to the directions? Thanks! [[User:Marc84|Marc84]] ([[User talk:Marc84|talk]]) 20:06, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

:Hi, I'd like to first say that Bananabot is not a bot made by the CRW team, it is made by [[User:Banana]] (who sounds pretty cool btw). I think we should manually update the table for now unless Banana wants to code that in themself. There's no plan to segment pages, we only recently got an archiving bot anyway. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:35, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
:The list is currently manually maintained, I think it would be lovely if it could be automated, it took a fair amount of human effort to initially fill it out and standardise its look.
:I'm not sure how Bananabot or similar work and which pages bots can or cannot handle. [[User:Tempo123|Tempo123]] ([[User talk:Tempo123|talk]]) 20:37, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
::It would indeed be good, but it depends on whether Banana (who is simply a volunteer, not someone who is paid) wants to code it. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:44, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Also, due to how archiving works, Bananabot is (i think) able to handle all pages the IA can. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|'''''AnotherConsumerRightsPerson''''']] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:45, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Bananabot can handle everything that IA can save. Right now limits are rate on IA itself (itgets rate limited + uploading takes quite a while). About project page table - I'll check out if I can automate it [[User:Banana|Banana]] ([[User talk:Banana|talk]]) 10:05, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:Thanks for all the answers! And cool bot, @[[User:Banana|Banana]]. [[User:Marc84|Marc84]] ([[User talk:Marc84|talk]]) 22:12, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

== Redacted evidence is no evidence. ==

So the main reason Archive.Today is supposedly untrustworthy is that they supposedly falsified snapshots.

Of course, this would be very bad if it were true, but if you actually dig to the bottom of the Archive.Today drama, past the sensationalized news articles by Ars Technica and others, you end up on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Archive.is_RFC_5#Evidence_of_altering_snapshots Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Archive.is RFC 5 § Evidence of altering snapshots].

Now, let's see what groundbreaking evidence they have, shall we?

<blockquote>
* <s style="font-style:italic; color:#565656">(Redacted)</s> ~2026-10956-05 12:48, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
::Where exactly are you getting this information from? MEN KISSING 13:13, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Your link returns a 404 error. <s style="font-style:italic; color:#565656">(Redacted)</s> sapphaline 13:26, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
</blockquote>
(signatures shortened to usernames only)

Awesome. "Just take our word for it, bro!"

Sorry, but if someone can't show me actual evidence, I don't trust it, and neither should you. If you can't see it, it might as well not exist. Redacted evidence doesn't count. Don't give credence to it. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 10:41, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

List of products bricked by discontinuation

2026-02-23T07:38:37Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* List of products */ fill column

{{StubNotice}}

A list of products bricked by discontinuation.

==List of products==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Product or line
!Company
!Release date
!End date
!Reasoning
|-
|[[Bosch Spexor]]
|Bosch
|2019
|2023 (sales)
2025 (support)
|Low demand in combination with high operational and app development costs
|-
|[[Sandisk Wireless Flash Drives]]
|Sandisk
|2015
|18 Mar 2021
|"...as an effort to retire legacy apps and migrate users to newer products, services, and apps."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-13 |title=Wireless Flash Drive End of Support |url=https://support-en.sandisk.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/48977 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250612204620/https://support-en.sandisk.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/48977 |archive-date=2025-06-12 |access-date=2025-10-25 |website=Sandisk}}</ref>
|-
|[[Data_lock-in#Telekom_Entertain_media_receiver_recordings|Telekom Entertain media receivers]]
|German Telekom
|2011
|2019
|The operating system required access to Telekom servers to be able to boot. When the service was discontinued, its users could no longer access their locally stored recordings. The recordings were stored in a proprietary format and there was no way to copy or move them to external media.
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Lists]]

List of products bricked by discontinuation

2026-02-23T07:34:35Z

JodyBruchonFan: Telekom Entertain

{{StubNotice}}

A list of products bricked by discontinuation.

==List of products==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Product or line
!Company
!Release date
!End date
!Reasoning
|-
|[[Bosch Spexor]]
|Bosch
|2019
|2023 (sales)
2025 (support)
|Low demand in combination with high operational and app development costs
|-
|[[Sandisk Wireless Flash Drives]]
|Sandisk
|2015
|18 Mar 2021
|"...as an effort to retire legacy apps and migrate users to newer products, services, and apps."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-13 |title=Wireless Flash Drive End of Support |url=https://support-en.sandisk.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/48977 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250612204620/https://support-en.sandisk.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/48977 |archive-date=2025-06-12 |access-date=2025-10-25 |website=Sandisk}}</ref>
|-
|[[Data_lock-in#Telekom_Entertain_media_receiver_recordings|Telekom Entertain media receiver]]
|2011
|2019
|The operating system required access to Telekom servers to be able to boot. When the service was discontinued, its users could no longer access their locally stored recordings. The recordings were stored in a proprietary format and there was no way to copy or move them to external media.
|-
| -
|
|
|
|
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Lists]]

File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png

2026-02-23T07:11:24Z

JodyBruchonFan: JodyBruchonFan uploaded a new version of File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png

== Summary ==
Text: {{CC0}}
Image: {{fairuse}}

== Image text ==
You're best protected while disconnected from the Internet.

Every time we take away more options from you and kill your freedom by a thousand cuts, we tell you it is for your protection. We have done so ever since we disabled normal MicroSD card write access in Android 4.4 with no menu option to let you decide if you even want this <s>patronization</s> "protection", eliminating one of Android's biggest selling points.

Starting in September 2029, Android will disable access to the Internet by default. To connect to the Internet, you will have to <s>dox yourself</s> provide real-life identification and your home address to us, and you only get to connect to domains approved by us.

Of course, requesting a domain approval requires <s>doxing yourself</s> identity verification too! What else did you expect?

Elsagate

2026-02-14T20:34:36Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Version 3 - 'AIgate' (2023 - Present) */ Perhaps not "neglected", see Talk:Elsagate#In_fairness_to_YouTube.

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=YouTube, TikTok
|StartDate=2016
|EndDate=
|Status=
|ProductLine=
|Product=YouTube, TikTok
|ArticleType=
|Type=Safety
|Description=
}}
'''{{Wplink|Elsagate}}''' refers to a type of incident where malicious content creators are left unrestrained to publish illicit content that is targeted towards minors. Residing among video platforms such as [[YouTube]] and [[TikTok]], millions of minors have been left affected by the negligence of the companies that maintain them. ’Elsa’, a character in the film Frozen and a part of the name, is an example of a character that can be manipulated against minors.

==Background==
Elsagate content is associated with mature content that is covered by a thin façade of what audiences would initially expect to be child-friendly content. The content itself takes advantage of a multitude of mediums, such as flash-style animation, stop-motion or claymation, live action footage, or most recently, [[Generative AI|AI generation]]. Most videos uploaded would take advantage of methods to take advantage of the algorithm with junk {{Wplink|Index term|keywords}} and {{Wplink|Buzzword|buzzwords}} in the titles like "education" or "nursery rhymes", and the attention of children or unaware parents with bright thumbnails and recognizable characters.

==Version 1 - (2016-2017)==
The initial introduction of Elsagate content started at an unknown date, however its presence was mostly discovered by outlets such as ''The Guardian'' in 2016,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dredge |first=Stuart |date=29 Jun 2016 |title=YouTube's latest hit: neon superheroes, giant ducks and plenty of lycra |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/29/youtube-superheroes-children-webs-tiaras |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123024539/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/29/youtube-superheroes-children-webs-tiaras |archive-date=23 Nov 2017 |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> where the content was rather tame with no dialogue, only taking advantage of characters owned by large companies that would be popular among children, such as Spider-Man or Elsa. The following year, the content eventually became far more questionable, such as sexual behaviors and {{Wplink|scatological humor}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Popper |first=Ben |date=20 Feb 2017 |title=Adults dressed as superheroes is YouTube's new, strange, and massively popular genre |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/20/14489052/youtube-kids-videos-superheroes-disney-characters-fart-jokes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113060333/https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/20/14489052/youtube-kids-videos-superheroes-disney-characters-fart-jokes |archive-date=13 Nov 2017 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Deal |first=Rachel |date=23 Feb 2017 |title=The Ballad Of Elsa And Spiderman |url=https://www.theawl.com/2017/02/the-ballad-of-elsa-and-spiderman/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041209/https://www.theawl.com/2017/02/the-ballad-of-elsa-and-spiderman/ |archive-date=1 Dec 2017 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=The Awl}}</ref>

By early 2017, the amount of channels publishing this content skyrocketed, and reports on the content were matching similar amounts of proliferation. Publications such as the ''[[BBC]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Subedar |first=Anisa |last2=Yates |first2=Will |date=27 Mar 2017 |title=The disturbing YouTube videos that are tricking children |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-39381889 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626072502/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-39381889 |archive-date=26 Jun 2019 |access-date=8 May 2025 |work=[[BBC]]}}</ref> ''CTV News'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 Mar 2017 |title=Fake toons: Kids falling prey to adult parodies of popular children's shows |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/fake-toons-kids-falling-prey-to-adult-parodies-of-popular-children-s-shows-1.3344358 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327141607/https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/fake-toons-kids-falling-prey-to-adult-parodies-of-popular-children-s-shows-1.3344358 |archive-date=27 Mar 2024 |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=CTV News}}</ref> and ''[[Yahoo!]] Lifestyle''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Natasha |date=9 Jul 2017 |title=Disturbing videos masked as kid's cartoons on YouTube |url=https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/disturbing-peppa-pig-and-pony-cartoons-on-youtue-36324432.html |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=[[Yahoo]] Lifestyle}}</ref> were among many covering this, and additionally the community '''[https://www.reddit.com/r/ElsaGate/ r/ElsaGate]''<nowiki/>' on Reddit formed, focusing on documenting the excessive publishing of this content.

===Google's response===
Initial response from [[Google]]'s moderation teams were limited, with only a few videos demonetized or taken down. When users on the platform were covering the incident, rather than the moderators taking down offending channels, YouTubers faced punishment for reporting instead.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yeung |first=Alysha |date=6 Oct 2024 |title=Aphmaugate: The Return of Elsagate |url=https://medium.com/@ayeu3251/aphmaugate-the-return-of-elsagate-91cf6d05ffad |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=Medium}}</ref> Only after facing mass coverage from major news outlets on the mature depictions of child-favorite characters,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whigham |first=Nick |date=29 Nov 2017 |title=Parents warned to look out for disturbing ‘Elsagate’ videos |url=https://nypost.com/2017/11/29/parents-warned-to-look-out-for-disturbing-elsagate-videos/ |access-date=6 Jun 2025 |work=New York Post}}</ref> potential investigations from the United State's Federal Bureau of Investigation,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Warzel |first=Charlie |date=22 Nov 2017 |title=YouTube Has A Massive Child Exploitation Problem |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/charliewarzel/youtube-is-addressing-its-massive-child-exploitation-problem |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122212607/https://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/youtube-is-addressing-its-massive-child-exploitation-problem |archive-date=22 Nov 2017 |access-date=6 Jun 2025 |work=BuzzFeed}}</ref> and threats from advertisers pulling funding, did [[YouTube]] put forth measures to effectively stop the spread of this content.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brandon |first=Russel |date=8 Dec 2017 |title=Inside Elsagate, the conspiracy-fueled war on creepy YouTube kids videos |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/8/16751206/elsagate-youtube-kids-creepy-conspiracy-theory |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413105303/https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/8/16751206/elsagate-youtube-kids-creepy-conspiracy-theory |archive-date=13 Apr 2018 |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>

Features have included the following:

*Disabling comments on videos marked 'for kids'
*Disabling "targeted" advertising on marked videos
*Loss of monetization for some marked videos

==Version 2 - 'Aphmaugate' (2020 - Present)==
In the start of the 2020s, the content resurfaced in the feeds of users, especially as the height of "{{Wplink|COVID-19 pandemic|lockdown}}" encouraged an increase in screen time among all demographics. Compared to the previous iteration, the content would instead infringe on smaller indie intellectual properties and game franchises.<ref>{{Cite news |last=D'Anastasio |first=Cecilia |date=30 Mar 2021 |title=Blood, Poop, and Violence: YouTube Has a Creepy Minecraft Problem |url=https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-minecraft-among-us-disturbing-videos/ |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=Wired}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Hajjaji |first=Danya |date=12 Apr 2022 |title=Violent YouTube Cartoons Exploit Children's Favorite Horror Characters |url=https://www.newsweek.com/violent-youtube-cartoons-exploit-children-favorite-horror-characters-1696854 |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=Newsweek}}</ref> The content was considerably more violent and mature in nature, such as murder, abuse, and drugs.<ref name=":0" />

The indie mascot horror scene has particularly faced the theft of their IP for the purposes of content farming for kids, even causing the creator of Sprunki, an indie version of {{Wplink|Incredibox|Incredibox}}, to quit their project partially due to the abuse of their IP inside content farms:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swanaenae |date=11 Mar 2025 |title=Elsagate Is Back, And It's Worse |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bblxWCB879s |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=NyankoBfLol |title=Post from NyankoBfLol |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOEYetac6aKZ4jRlD7W5mEg/community?lb=Ugkx3COGIT5fhgh08jzUNuzX57fHFPsIbU7m |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |work=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=NyankoBfLol |date=2 Dec 2024 |title=about sprunki... (and a few other situations related) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUoGbPWakB4 |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><blockquote>I have a secret that I have been keeping for a while. But after getting hacked, I noticed it's a bit too late. But lemme say this anyway

Sprunki 2 has already been cancelled this whole time.

The situation was already bad enough, such as messed up content farms, overpopularity, and what the idiots called "sprunki ripoff". I just haven't told you yet because of the STUPIDEST reason so lemme just ruin the surprise

It's because of a planned APRIL FOOLS sprunki 2.

It was supposed to be a whole ass meme game. But at some point in game, you get a video about the cancellation of sprunki. I haven't tell you that I cancelled it yet because it would ruin the fun (kinda stupid i know)

At this point, I'm gonna cancel the sprunki update. I'll release the cancelled version when I want to.

This is a good thing for me because I can finally focus on something I actually enjoy making.

I'll make a video about this later

But for now, spread the words

- sprunkiisdead</blockquote>Thanks to the creation and excessive enforcement of [[COPPA]] (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) on [[YouTube]], this period had also shown content created explicitly for mature audiences being automatically marked for kids against the wishes of the creator,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=5 Jul 2022 |title=YouTube flags horror video as “for kids,” won’t let creator change rating |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/07/youtube-flags-horror-video-as-for-kids-wont-let-creator-change-rating/ |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=u/davidverner |date=5 Nov 2021 |title=Is this actually a thing, forcing videos to YouTube Kids because it's about a cartoon series? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/qnq6m0/is_this_actually_a_thing_forcing_videos_to/ |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> which harms the monetization of their content<ref>{{Cite news |last=nuckles87 |date=13 Jul 2023 |title=YouTube goes after Balena Productions' Sonic Animations, Marking Them "Made For Kids" |url=https://www.sonicstadium.org/news/fandom/youtube-goes-after-balena-productions-sonic-animations-marking-them-made-for-kids-r1145/ |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=Sonic Stadium}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=u/Muska327 |date=9 May 2022 |title=Looks like YouTube has it out for Sonic content now. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/SonicTheHedgehog/comments/um99om/looks_like_youtube_has_it_out_for_sonic_content/ |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> and contributes to the harm of children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Tom |date=9 Jan 2020 |title=YouTube COPPA changes result in videos with violence, gore, and strong language being labeled “made for kids” |url=https://reclaimthenet.org/youtube-coppa-changes-violent-videos-made-for-kids |access-date=8 Jun 2025 |work=Reclaim The Net}}</ref>

==Version 3 - 'AIgate' (2023 - Present)==
An offshoot of the previous version emerged with the growth of [[generative AI]], and compared to the speed of human output, AI generated videos proliferated excessively on video platforms. Initially this content was a series of poorly stitched-together static images, however as access to AI-powered video generators increased and the costs to use these additionally became cheaper, consumers on several video platforms were faced with a flood of AI generated videos<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tang |first=Jiaru |date=19 Sep 2024 |title=Behind the AI slop flooding TikTok and Facebook |url=https://www.thetimes.com.au/world/34647-behind-the-ai-slop-flooding-tiktok-and-facebook |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |work=The Times AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Salvador |first=Francheska |date=10 Mar 2025 |title=Is your feed full of AI ‘slop’? Trending low-quality AI videos in a nutshell |url=https://torontoobserver.ca/2025/03/10/is-your-feed-full-of-ai-slop-trending-low-quality-ai-videos-in-a-nutshell/ |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |work=The Toronto Observer}}</ref> that exhibited disturbing imagery and elements suitable only for mature audiences, while maintaining the façade of looking like it is content for kids.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Holliday |first=Laura |date=2 May 2025 |title=Dozens of YouTube Channels Are Showing AI-Generated Cartoon Gore and Fetish Content |url=https://www.wired.com/story/dozens-of-youtube-channels-are-showing-ai-generated-cartoon-gore-and-fetish-content/ |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref>

A highlight of these channels are centered around the tag "Cute Cat", which has notably been discussed by creators<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Raymundo 2112 |date=28 Feb 2025 |title=Elsagate 3.0 Is Worse Than we Thought. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjOybKOm2Tc&t=1s |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Upper Echelon |date=6 May 2025 |title=ElsaGate is BACK - (In 2025) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pekrc2nIJaA |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Timcast IRL |date=23 Apr 2025 |title=AI Brainrot SLOP Is TAKING OVER The Internet, ElsaGate 3 IS HERE |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxV3my4QzYU |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> and outlets<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sanctionite |date=24 May 2025 |title=Elsagate 2.0: AI-Generated Content Targets Kids on YouTube |url=https://upperechelon.gg/elsagate-2-ai-generated-content-targets-kids-youtube/ |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=Upper Echelon}}</ref> alike. The AI generated cat videos show disturbing imagery involving humanoid cats, often depicted as a child, either committing or facing disturbing acts like abuse, physical trauma, torture, and more.<ref>{{Cite news |title=AI-Generated Cartoon Gore: A Disturbing Trend on YouTube Like Elsagate |url=https://digialps.com/ai-generated-cartoon-gore-a-disturbing-trend-on-youtube-like-elsagate/ |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |work=DigiAlps}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=BitterSnake |date=13 Jan 2025 |title=Cute Cat AI {{!}} The Next Elsa Gate {{!}} Content Warning: Gore, disturbing imagery |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnlvfMx9Q4I |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

Some of these channels will label that the content is not intended for children, however, they neglect to leave these content warnings outside of the comment section.<ref name=":5" /> Due to the mixture of paranoia from previous Elsagate-type incidents and a difficulty to control the kids app,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=That_Commission |date=1 Jun 2021 |title=Parental controls are a terrible way of monitoring what you kid does on the internet. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/npv5vs/parental_controls_are_a_terrible_way_of/ |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=C. |first=Michael |date=27 Sep 2020 |title=I want to allow ONLY specific YouTube Channel(s) on my child's browser or app |url=https://support.google.com/youtubekids/thread/73612494?hl=en#redirected=true |access-date=23 Jun 2020 |website=[[Google]] Support}}</ref> parents have lost trust in [[YouTube Kids]],<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Ok-Counter-7077 |date=2 Jul 2022 |title=Anyone else hate YouTube kids? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/comments/vq12fz/anyone_else_hate_youtube_kids/ |access-date=23 Jun 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> meaning they are at risk of accidentally showing this traumatizing content to their own children.

Despite the excess in disturbing content, both YouTube and its parent company Google have not managed to stop the proliferation of this content on its platform.

==Consumer response==
The initial response from the public of the first version of the incident was strongly negative, with users agreeing to refuse to use YouTube Kids due to a lack of adequate parental controls for the content that would be shown to the user.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":7" /> Version 3 has especially brought significant backlash due to the explicit nature of the videos being published and being shown to children using the platform.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:YouTube]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-02-14T20:29:52Z

JodyBruchonFan: No backup, no distribution.

Talk:Elsagate

2026-02-14T20:14:19Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* In fairness to YouTube */ new section

==I'm unsure whether this topic is relevant to this wiki...==

The goal of the wiki is to "''document a new generation of consumer exploitation that bears no resemblance to issues of the 1950s-1990s".'' Is this topic relevant ? Is Elsagate consumer exploitation ? Or is it simply the unfortunate inevitability of the existence of the Internet ? I'm unsure... [[User:Plankton|Plankton]] ([[User talk:Plankton|talk]]) 15:38, 8 June 2025 (UTC)

:it's exploitation through the negligence of Google. I'm still developing the article, but if you've seen what I've written so far, you'd notice especially in V2 how they're literally making mature content as "kid-friendly", against the wishes of the uploader [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 01:30, 9 June 2025 (UTC)

==Source dump==

Sources that I either referenced and not yet included, or plan to include after further analysis. BE SURE TO CHECK THE ARTICLE IN EDIT MODE! Some sources are instead left there for organization purposes!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate

https://noirnexus.com/2025/04/23/the-never-ending-elsagate-problem/

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/8/16751206/elsagate-youtube-kids-creepy-conspiracy-theory

https://www.reddit.com/r/ElsaGate/comments/v0cjpc/why_is_this_still_on_youtube/

https://youtu.be/Urg399PMZ98

https://cmhs.news/the-scary-return-of-youtubes-biggest-scandal/S

https://gizmodo.com/youtube-elsagate-kids-videos-like-comment-subscribe-1849501198

https://medium.com/@ayeu3251/aphmaugate-the-return-of-elsagate-91cf6d05ffad

https://eastside-online.org/global-commentary/a-digital-devils-playground-youtube-kids-fails-to-provide-a-safe-space-for-children/?unapproved=81463&moderation-hash=400a739fbfc900c438d738fc7f88efe8#comment-81463 << Concerning lack of sources inside it [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 02:44, 9 June 2025 (UTC)

:Further research: https://newqualitipedia.telepedia.net/wiki/YouTube_content_farms
:This is from a different wiki which has less development than this one, but this article has a big dump of videos to watch through for research. [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 12:19, 23 June 2025 (UTC)

== In fairness to YouTube ==

<blockquote>
YouTube and its parent company Google have neglected to stop the proliferation of this content on its platform.
</blockquote>

My closest guess is that they simply don't have the moderative capacity to deal with the sheer volume of videos. And they could also be struggling against false reports behind the scenes as well. I say this as someone who has criticized Google a lot. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 20:14, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png

2026-02-14T19:40:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: image text

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-02-14T19:39:06Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* If Google were honest */ + disconnected

File:If Google were honest - disconnected.png

2026-02-14T19:33:36Z

JodyBruchonFan: == Summary == Text: {{CC0}} Image: {{fairuse}}

== Summary ==
Text: {{CC0}}
Image: {{fairuse}}

Android Developer Verification

2026-02-11T17:39:55Z

JodyBruchonFan: clarified

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Google
|StartDate=2025-08-25
|EndDate=
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Google-certified Android devices
|Product=Android
|ArticleType=Service
|Type=Anticompetitive Behavior, Digital restrictions, Privacy
|Description=A planned restriction that forces developers to submit their identity to Google and pay a fee for their apps to be installable onto Android devices.
}}
On August 25th, 2025, [[Google]] announced an upcoming application installation restriction on Google-certified [[Android]] devices, requiring '''all''' developers to register and verify their real-life identity through the Developer Verification program and be approved by Google before their apps can be installed on Android devices. This requirement extends to '''''all''''' installation methods including "[[sideloading]]", third-party app repositories like [[F-Droid]], and direct APK installations. Google stated that this change "keeps the ecosystem open".<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.08.26-115350/http://web.archive.org/web/20250825180832/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification Android developer console | Android developer verification | Android Developers]</ref>

This is a giant shift from Android's traditionally open ecosystem and an abandonment of Android's founding principles.<ref>[https://archive.today/2012.12.04-171030/http://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html Philosophy and Goals | Android Open Source] (2012)</ref> It renders all existing APK files created throughout the years useless, and gives Google the ability to censor apps they dislike, such as those that can create permanent local backups of YouTube videos outside of Google's ecosystem with no [[data lock-in]] (a popular example being TubeMate), and lets them terminate developers out of spite for reasons unrelated to their apps (such as holding political views Google disagrees with), in addition to giving governments the ability to order Google to censor unwanted apps, similar to what already happened with Apple in China.<ref>[https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/apple-censoring-its-app-store-china Apple Is Censoring its App Store for China] - Tech Transparency Projects</ref>

It also prevents new Android applications from being developed offline with no Internet connection or Google account, given that every package name has to be registered in the developer console. This can prevent even verified developers from creating apps in countries where governments intermittently turn off Internet access, block access to Google services, or selectively block individuals from accessing the Internet.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/30/middleeast/iran-internet-blackout-censorship-intl The future of Iran’s internet connectivity is still bleak, even as weeks-long blackout begins to lift | CNN]</ref>

Individuals who lose access to their Google accounts (for example, as a result of losing an authentication factor) would no longer be able register new applications.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit</ref> Unlimited offline distribution can also become a thing of the past. Google can impose arbitrary installation quotas, meaning limit the number of installations, like they are planning to do with [[#Limited_distribution|student accounts]]. In the future, Google can also stop accepting submissions for older Android versions altogether, forcing people to purchase new devices to run software that could technically run on their existing device.

As with any Google service, there exists a possibility that it will shut down entirely, given that Google has a long history of launching and shutting down experimental services.<ref>[https://gcemetery.co/ The Google Cemetery - Dead Google products]</ref><ref>[https://killedbygoogle.com/ Google Graveyard - Killed by Google]</ref> If Google shut down the Android Developer Console, no one could develop new Android application anymore, for any device sold with this verification requirement built in.

==Take action, make our voice heard==
Direct link to the useful resources provided by the [https://techlore.tech Techlore] https://keepandroidopen.org/

The keep android open website includes the following resources:

*ways to contact national regulators
*open letter and petitions
*f-droid additional sources
*editorial blogs and press reactions
*public discussions

==Background==
Android has historically allowed users to freely install applications from any source through APK files (sometimes called [[sideloading]]). This openness differentiated Android from competitors like iOS. It enabled alternative app repositories, including open-source repositories like [[F-Droid]], & direct developer-to-user distribution, offline installation with no Internet connection and Google account required, installation of applications not available in the Play Store (such as ''Flappy Bird'', after it was taken down by its developer, or ''TubeMate'', which Google does not allow on the Play Store), and installation of earlier versions (such as non-adware versions of ''ES File Explorer'').

The only technical requirements were that applications follow Android's technical guidelines for functionality & be signed with any certificate to maintain a chain of trust during updates.

This openness has been a defining characteristic of Android since its inception, supporting many different use cases from enterprise deployments to privacy-focused distributions. Google has defended this approach in antitrust proceedings, with Google's lawyers arguing in the [[Epic Games]] case that "Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-11 |title=Fortnite maker Epic Games wins its antitrust fight against Google |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/11/epic-games-google-antitrust-win/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref> & that the company's app store practices were "part of its fierce competition with Apple".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-12 |title=Epic Games wins antitrust lawsuit against Google |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/11/epic-google-trial-verdict/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=The Washington Post}}</ref>

==Announcement and rationale==
Google announced the Developer Verification requirements on August 25th, 2025, through the Android Developers Blog.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Android Developers Blog: A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825180832/https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |archive-date=2025-08-25 |access-date=2025-08-25}}</ref> According to Suzanne Frey, VP of Product, Trust & Growth for Android, the system is designed to combat malicious actors who "''hide behind anonymity to harm users by impersonating developers and using their brand image to create convincing fake apps."''

Google cited security statistics showing ''"over 50 times more malware from internet-sideloaded sources than on apps available through Google Play".''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading |url=https://9to5google.com/2025/08/25/android-apps-developer-verification/ |website=9to5Google |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref> The company framed the verification as ''"an ID check at the airport, which confirms a traveler's identity but is separate from the security screening of their bags".''

===Implementation timeline===
The implementation will be conducted in global rollout phases:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Android developer verification {{!}} Android Developers |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/android-developer-console |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825204008/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/android-developer-console |archive-date=2025-08-25 |access-date=2025-08-25}}</ref>

*'''October 2025''': Early access opens for invited developers
*'''March 2026''': Open to all developers
*'''September 2026''': Enforcement begins in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand
*'''2027 and beyond''': Global rollout continues

Key implementation details:
*No grandfather clauses for existing apps or developers
*[[wikipedia:Google_Play|Play Store]] developers likely already meet requirements through 2023's D-U-N-S implementation
*Organizations requiring D-U-N-S numbers should begin the process 28 days before deadlines
*Developers can initiate verification 60 days before enforcement
*90-day deadline extensions available for developers needing additional time
*After deadlines, users encounter system-level blocks with no override option when attempting to install unverified apps

==Technical implementation==

===Distribution types===
The Developer Verification system creates two tiers of developer accounts:<ref name=":0" />

====Limited distribution====
*Allows for distribution on up to 20 devices<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Android Developer Console: Account creation form |url=https://get.google.com/adc-early-access/u/0/onboarding |access-date=2025-12-19 |website=Android Developer Console}}</ref>
*Intended for ''"students, hobbyists, and other personal use"''
*Free registration
*Identity verification requirements unclear

====Full distribution====
*No limits on app numbers or installations
*Intended for ''"organizations and professional developers with wide distribution"''
*Requires a one-time $25 fee
*Requires complete identity verification including:
**Government-issued photo ID
**Proof of address
**Private email
**Phone number
**For organizations:
***Website
***D-U-N-S number (can take up to 28 days to obtain)

===Package name registration===
Developers must register package names before apps can be installed. The system creates a cryptographic link between developer identity & app signing keys. Ownership priority is determined by installation statistics - developers whose signing keys account for over 50% of known installs receive registration priority.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Updates to Play Console for Android developer verification: A first look |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/assets/pdfs/updates-to-play-console-for-android-developer-verification.pdf |website=Android Developers |access-date=2025-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Resources {{!}} Android developer verification {{!}} Android Developers |url=https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/resources |website=Android Developers |access-date=2025-08-25}}</ref>

===Affected devices===
The requirements apply to all ''"[https://www.android.com/certified/partners/ Google-certified Android devices]"'' which includes:
*Devices with Google Play Store
*Devices with [[Google Mobile Services]] (GMS)
*Devices with Play Protect
*All mainstream Android devices from manufacturers including Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, OnePlus, and Google Pixel

Custom ROMs without Google services & uncertified devices are not affected by these restrictions.

==Developer response==

===Technical concerns===
Prominent Android developer Mark Murphy (CommonsWare) raised several technical concerns:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-26 |title=Uncomfortable Questions About Android Developer Verification |url=https://commonsware.com/blog/2025/08/26/uncomfortable-questions-android-developer-verification.html |website=CommonsWare |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>
*Debug keystore handling for development workflows remains unaddressed
*Sample code from Android development books would become unusable as "at most one person on the entire planet" could register each package name
*Beta testing workflows using different package names face complications
*Questions whether "it will no longer be possible to test apps under development on Google-certified production hardware" after 2027

===Privacy and safety concerns===
Developers expressed significant privacy concerns:
*Murphy cited the ICEBlock app developer who faced federal prosecution threats after identity disclosure, with his wife being fired from a DOJ job
*EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticized risks of centralization in censorship as well as surveillance capability retained by Google<ref>{{Cite web |last=McSherry |first=Corynne |date=2025-11-03 |title=Application Gatekeeping: An Ever-Expanding Pathway to Internet Censorship |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/application-gatekeeping-ever-expanding-pathway-internet-censorship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111101548/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/application-gatekeeping-ever-expanding-pathway-internet-censorship |archive-date=2025-11-11}}</ref>
*Google's privacy policy allows sharing developer information with ''"trusted businesses or persons"'' without clear restrictions<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-29 |title=Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/new-android-sideloading-rules/ |website=It's FOSS |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>
*Open source developers fear harassment and doxxing after forced identity disclosure
*F-Droid mentions that play store verification is proven to be ineffective at combating malware due to repeated instances of malware distributed through play store<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arntz |first=Pieter |date=2025-09-17 |title=224 malicious apps removed from the Google Play Store after ad fraud campaign discovered |url=https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/09/224-malicious-apps-removed-from-the-google-play-store-after-ad-fraud-campaign-discovered |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251005173848/www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/09/224-malicious-apps-removed-from-the-google-play-store-after-ad-fraud-campaign-discovered |archive-date=2025-10-05 |website=malwarebytes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Lain |date=2025-08-26 |title=Malware-ridden apps made it into Google's Play Store, scored 19 million downloads |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/apps_android_malware/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251005173850/www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/apps_android_malware/ |archive-date=2025-10-05 |website=The Register}}</ref>

===Open source community impact===
The F-Droid community reacted strongly, with one forum member stating: "F*** Google. Use GrapheneOS to drop Android... I find this development downright alarming".<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ - App Developers {{!}} F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository |url=https://f-droid.org/en/docs/FAQ_-_App_Developers/ |website=F-Droid |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref> Specific challenges include:
*F-Droid builds apps from source with its own signing keys, creating coordination requirements with upstream developers to ensure that the applications distributed are reproducible
*Community estimates suggest 85% of F-Droid apps could be "stuck in limbo" due to package ID conflicts
*Some developers announced via [https://github.com/woheller69/FreeDroidWarn FreeDroidWarn] that their apps "will no longer work on certified Android devices after that time"
*Open source app, Kotatsu, shuts down development citing pressure from Google against sideloading among other threats against its operation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KotatsuApp/Kotatsu: Manga reader for android |url=https://github.com/KotatsuApp/Kotatsu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105185519/github.com/KotatsuApp/Kotatsu |archive-date=5 Nov 2025 |access-date=16 Nov 2025 |website=Github}}</ref>

==Consumer and user response==
Google's Q&A page for the announcement received lots of feedback, including:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Q&A: New Android developer verification requirements |url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/thread/361325854 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829100055/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/thread/361325854/%F0%9F%92%AC-q-a-new-android-developer-verification-requirements |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Play Console Help}}</ref>

*Users highlighting the hypocrisy of enforcing security on sideloaded apps while Google Play distributes apps classified as scamware, malware, and adware
*Confusion over whether users would need to pay $25 to install apps on their own devices
*Concerns about offline device functionality (barcode scanners, kiosks) requiring internet connections for app signing verification
*Comparisons to Windows, where users noted: "I can install an app onto a Windows computer from any source without verification by Microsoft"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google to restrict Android app sideloading to verified devs |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |website=The Register |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>
*Users voiced their opinions through community wiki, [https://keepandroidopen.org/ keepandroidopen.org] criticizing it as an anti-consumer move since a software update irrevocably blocks right to install any software and requires developers to seek permission from Google to develop apps. The users also noted that it harms digital sovereignty of nations as well as raising questions on placing critical infrastructure "at the mercy of distant and unaccountable organization"<ref>{{Cite web |title=(Archive) Keep Android Open |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251109112509/keepandroidopen.org |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Android community produced numerous critical videos,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mental Outlaw |date=2025-08-29 |title=Google is Locking Down Android |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S0SiBuJN8 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=BrenTech |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google Will Soon Block Apps from Unverified Developers! Is This The End of Sideloading on Android? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nCgnXByGrY |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=TechLore |date=2025-08-27 |title=Android Is Becoming iOS: The End of Sideloading? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxGjwtiI8uM |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=YouTube}}</ref> with titles like "Google is Locking Down Android" and "Android Is Becoming iOS: The End of Sideloading?"

==Industry and organizational response==

===Support===
The Developers Alliance stood as the sole organizational voice supporting the change, with co-founder Jake Ward stating it was "a critical step to ensure trust, accountability, and security across the Android ecosystem".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Developers Alliance Applauds Google's New Android Developer Verification |url=https://news.devalliance.org/developers-alliance-applauds-googles-new-android-developer-verification/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251029120724/https://news.devalliance.org/developers-alliance-applauds-googles-new-android-developer-verification/ |archive-date=2025-10-29 |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Developers Alliance}}</ref>

Government support emerged from initial rollout regions:
*Brazil's Federation of Banks called it a "significant advancement in protecting users"
*Indonesia's Ministry of Communications praised the "balanced approach that protects users while keeping Android open"
*Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy described it as a "positive and proactive measure"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Google to Verify All Android Developers in 4 Countries to Block Malicious Apps |url=https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/google-to-verify-all-android-developers.html |website=The Hacker News |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>

===Criticism===
Technology publications characterized the change as fundamental to Android's nature:
*The Daily Security Review called it "a significant philosophical shift for Android, mirroring Apple's tightly curated ecosystem"
*Cory Doctorow writes that Google is abusing it's duopoly position in mobile ecosystem to lock-in users for monetary profit<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doctorow |first=Cory |date=2025-09-01 |title=Darth Android |url=https://pluralistic.net/2025/09/01/fulu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012004854/pluralistic.net/2025/09/01/fulu/ |archive-date=2025-10-12}}</ref>
*Many news outlets warn that the ID requirements could end alternative app stores and affirm play store's position as an effective monopoly<ref>{{Cite web |last=Debasish |date=30 Sep 2025 |title=Google’s new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid’s future |url=https://www.gizmochina.com/2025/09/30/googles-new-developer-rules-could-threaten-sideloading-and-f-droids-future/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251102075559/www.gizmochina.com/2025/09/30/googles-new-developer-rules-could-threaten-sideloading-and-f-droids-future/ |archive-date=2 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mous |first=Anton |date=30 Sep 2025 |title=Google’s developer registration ‘decree’ means the end for alternative app stores |url=https://cybernews.com/tech/googles-developer-registration-decree-end-alternative-app-stores/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111111050/https://cybernews.com/tech/googles-developer-registration-decree-end-alternative-app-stores/ |archive-date=11 Nov 2025}}</ref>
*Afam Onyimadu writes for makeuseof, that the move is an overreach of google's position when programs such as Play Protect already exist, calling it "security theatre"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Onyimadu |first=Afam |date=11 Oct 2025 |title=Android’s sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/androids-sideloading-limits-are-anti-consumer-move-yet/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012005122/www.makeuseof.com/androids-sideloading-limits-are-anti-consumer-move-yet/ |archive-date=12 Oct 2025}}</ref>
*It's FOSS warned "this could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on 'certified' Android devices"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-29 |title=Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/new-android-sideloading-rules/ |website=It's FOSS |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>
*OSnews criticized it as "the death of our digital freedoms"
*Hackaday noted the timing "coincides with Google's court-mandated opening of Android following Epic Games' antitrust victory"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google Will Require Developer Verification Even For Sideloading |url=https://hackaday.com/2025/08/26/google-will-require-developer-verification-even-for-sideloading/ |website=Hackaday |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>

==Impact on specific use cases==

===Enterprise and MDM deployments===
NomidMDM advised IT managers to "audit application inventory today" & make sure all line-of-business app developers complete verification before deadlines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Core Change: Mandatory Verification for All Android Apps |url=https://www.nomidmdm.com/en/blog/the-core-change-mandatory-verification-for-all-android-apps |website=NomidMDM |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref> Affected deployments include:
*Wall-mounted displays
*Classroom broadcasting systems
*Shared device configurations
*Kiosk applications
*Industrial control systems

===Alternative app stores===
F-Droid faces serious challenges with the repository's build-from-source model conflicting with developer verification requirements. Alternative stores must make sure all hosted apps come from verified developers, effectively extending Google's verification to all distribution channels.

===Educational development===
Educational institutions face challenges as well:
*Student projects require individual verification for testing
*Sample code from textbooks becomes unusable without verification
*Classroom demonstrations need verified developer accounts
*Research projects face additional identity disclosure requirements

==Regulatory context==
The announcement arrives during active regulatory scrutiny of Google's platform practices:

===European Union===
The EU [[Digital Markets Act]] investigation issued preliminary findings against Google on March 19, 2025, for self-preferencing and payment system restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Google Search, Play Store falling foul of Digital Markets Act rules, says EU |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/google-search-play-store-falling-foul-of-digital-markets-act-rules-says-eu/ |website=TechCrunch |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref> Legal experts note potential conflicts with DMA provisions requiring gatekeepers to permit third-party software installation without the gatekeeper's identification services.

===United States===
The timing coincides with court-mandated changes following Epic Games' antitrust victory. The FTC outlined remedy concerns in an August 2024 amicus brief after the jury found Google illegally monopolized app distribution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-29 |title=FTC Outlines Remedy Concerns in Amicus Brief After Jury Finds Google Illegally Monopolized App Store |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/ftc-outlines-remedy-concerns-amicus-brief-after-jury-finds-google-illegally-monopolized-app-store |website=Federal Trade Commission |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
The UK Competition and Markets Authority continues its Strategic Market Status investigation, with consultation closing on August 20, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SMS investigation into Google's mobile platform |url=https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/sms-investigation-into-googles-mobile-ecosystem |website=GOV.UK |access-date=2025-08-29}}</ref> No specific response to the verification requirements has been issued.

==See also==
*[[Digital Markets Act]]
*[[Sideloading]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Android]]

2026-02-11T16:32:17Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Moral arbitration */ self-appointed

{{ToneWarning}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American instant messaging app used globally.
|Founded=2009
|Industry=Social Media, Messaging
|Logo=WhatsApp Logo green.svg
|ParentCompany=Meta
|Type=Subsidiary
|Website=https://www.whatsapp.com/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:WhatsApp|WhatsApp]]''' (officially '''WhatsApp Messenger''') is an American instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate [[Meta]].

==Consumer impact summary==

===User Privacy===
Collects and shares metadata, while competing apps intentionally collect less to avoid incursions on their users' privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elkind |first=Peter |last2=Gillum |first2=Jack |last3=Silverman |first3=Craig |date=7 Sep 2021 |title=How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907090516/https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |archive-date=7 Sep 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=ProPublica}}</ref>

===Market Control===
The combination of [[Facebook]], WhatsApp, and [[Instagram]], all owned by Meta, serves billions of active users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Stacy Jo |date=10 Jul 2024 |title=Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2024, by number of monthly active users |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wmIXV |archive-date=26 Aug 2024 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=Statista |quote=''[...] Meta Platforms owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with more than one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.''}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents in which this company is involved. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:WhatsApp messenger|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Message remote deletion and falsification (2017 and later)===
Since late 2017, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely delete messages for a limited duration after sending.<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_gets_ability_to_delete_messages-news-27955.php WhatsApp gets ability to delete messages - GSMArena.com news]</ref> This time limit was extended repeatedly, to slightly over an hour in 2018<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_time_limit_for_deleting_messages_increases_to_over_an_hour-news-30053.php WhatsApp time limit for deleting messages increases to over an hour - GSMArena.com news] (The exact time limit was 4096 seconds, which is 212.)</ref> and two and a half days in 2022.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-extends-time-limit-to-delete-a-message-to-60-hours/ WhatsApp extends time limit to delete a message to 60 hours – TechCrunch]</ref>

Additionally, since 2023, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely falsify messages for up to a quarter hour after sending. When a message is falsified by the sender, the recipient can no longer see the untampered message.<ref>[https://mashable.com/article/whatsapp-edit-messages-feature WhatsApp finally lets you edit messages, but you have to be fast - Mashable]</ref>

The WhatsApp software acts against the will of the device owner by letting someone else remotely delete or falsify existing information on their device retroactively. Many people are forced to accept this infringement of their ownership as a result of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect network effect], the high number of existing WhatsApp users.

===Data lock-in===
[[File:WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen.png|thumb|upright|WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen]]
There are several instances of [[data lock-in]] in WhatsApp. For example, if WhatsApp staff suspends an account, WhatsApp holds the message history hostage. The user is unable to access any messages stored on their device, unless they successfully appeal their suspension. This means WhatsApp staff has more control over some data stored on devices of WhatsApp users than the device owners themselves. This is as close as it gets to ramsomware without officially being labelled as such.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.02.11-152443/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-this-account-is-not-allowed-to-use-whatsapp-error-fix/ How to fix the WhatsApp 'This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp' error]</ref><ref>[https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/ How to Unban From WhatsApp Quickly and Regain Access (2024)]</ref>

Users also lose access to their messaging history unless they run a recent version. The developers behind WhatsApp could have provided users read-only access, meaning letting users read existing messages but not send new messages unless they update, but they chose to completely disable access to the messages until an update is completed.

There are situations where users are not able to update. These include being at a remote location with limited Internet access, exhaustion of ones mobile data plan, and having an older device where updating is not possible anymore because its operating system is no longer supported by a recent version of WhatsApp.

If a WhatsApp user has not used the service for four months, they are required to repeat the registration process before being able to access to their message history.<ref>[https://faq.whatsapp.com/120604060995491 Seeing “You have been logged out” | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> In addition, changing ones' phone number means losing access to all existing messages that were not backed up in advance.

WhatsApp also lets the user back up their messages to their Google account, but they are stored in a way they can only be accessed from WhatsApp, not externally.<ref name=TechCrunch-20220809>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-privacy-presence-control-screenshot-blocking/ WhatsApp is adding new privacy options, including screenshot blocking and a stealth mode]</ref>

WhatsApp provides a chat exporting feature which allows to export the entire chat history as a text file, optionally including media attachments, into a ZIP file. However, there is no way to export all messages at once. It has to be done for every contact and every group individually. Additionally, starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant through the "Advanced Chat Privacy" feature., meaning the user is at the mercy of the other participant to allow exporting.

There are legitimate reasons for exporting chats, such as creating backups in a human-readable and non-proprietary format, preempting erroneous account terminations ([https://karl-voit.at/cloud examples]), searching using external tools, and preserving good memories with people, including those of deceased individuals (as shown in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj5dxoMY-dE Ed Sheeran - Old Phone]'').

If one doesn't trust someone to keep something secret, one should not send it in the first place, like one not tell them in real life.

The developers of WhatsApp have threatened to block [[screenshot blocking|screenshots]] inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref>

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots.
</blockquote>

===Moral arbitration===
WhatsApp has used its dominant market share to act as a self-appointed moral arbiter.

In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen, supposedly to "protect the privacy" of its users. This only is possible because the mainstream mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, let applications disable screen capturing against the will of device owners.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.12.22-151106/https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 About profile photo screenshot blocking | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

Profile picture screenshots are no privacy violation, given that they are something users voluntarily choose to make public on a visible spot of their profiles, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp. It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta, Inc.).

WhatsApp also introduced "view-once" messages in 2021 and disabled screen captures of them in 2022. "View once" messages are forcibly deleted after being viewed.<ref name=TechCrunch-20220809 />

===Introduction of advertising (2025)===
In June 2025, Meta announced that personalized ads would be introduced globally on WhatsApp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scharon |first=Harding |date=2025-06-16 |title=Ads are “rolling out gradually” to WhatsApp |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616190958/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-date=16 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> Previously, Meta (then known as Facebook) stated in 2014, after it acquired the application: <blockquote>''("[…] And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.")''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806121407/https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-date=6 Aug 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=WhatsApp Blog}}</ref> </blockquote>The personalized ads also utilize data from linked accounts on other Meta platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-16 |title=Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/helping-you-find-more-channels-businesses-on-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vErdo |archive-date=19 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Meta Newsroom}}</ref>

===Privacy policy update (2021)===
{{Main|WhatsApp updates privacy policy and millions of users flee the platform}}
There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=12 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=24 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

==Mandatory updates==
WhatsApp forces users to stay on updated versions of the app by first giving them an in-app warning if they have not updated for a while. If the user still chooses not to update, usage of the app will be disabled entirely {{Citation needed|reason=how long before this happens? any screenshots?}}. This is problematic in certain cases, such as being in an area with poor or limited internet connectivity or using an older device that is no longer supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Dylan |title=WhatsApp drops support for Android KitKat |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025193121/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-date=25 Oct 2023 |website=Android Police}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |date=2024-12-22 |title=WhatsApp to drop support for older Android devices on January 1, 2025 |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_to_drop_support_for_older_android_devices_on_january_1_2025-news-65834.php |archive-url=https://archive.ph/z9lWS |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=GSMArena}}</ref> 

==Alternatives==
*[https://www.signal.org Signal] offers most of the same features, and while [[Signal data collection|not without some issues]], the app is open source, relies on Privacy by Design, and is operated by a non-profit.

*[https://matrix.org/ Matrix] is more private and uses a federated design, but setup is slightly more involved than that of a commercial messenger.

*[https://telegram.org/ Telegram] is the most popular alternative and is end-user-friendly, with minimal content moderation. Prior to a September 2024 policy change, it refused to hand over user data to law enforcement upon request.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Lily |last=Jamali |title=Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |website=BBC |date=23 Sep 2024 |access-date=22 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923225048/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |archive-date=23 Sep 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:WhatsApp messenger]]

Talk:WhatsApp

2026-02-11T16:23:29Z

JodyBruchonFan: Created page with "Editor note: I was never suspended from WhatsApp (back when I used it), but even the remote possibility of suddenly losing access to ones entire messaging history at the whim of a Meta, Inc. employee is worrying. ~~~~"

Editor note: I was never suspended from WhatsApp (back when I used it), but even the remote possibility of suddenly losing access to ones entire messaging history at the whim of a Meta, Inc. employee is worrying. [[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] ([[User talk:JodyBruchonFan|talk]]) 16:23, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

2026-02-11T16:17:01Z

JodyBruchonFan: "view once" messages

{{ToneWarning}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American instant messaging app used globally.
|Founded=2009
|Industry=Social Media, Messaging
|Logo=WhatsApp Logo green.svg
|ParentCompany=Meta
|Type=Subsidiary
|Website=https://www.whatsapp.com/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:WhatsApp|WhatsApp]]''' (officially '''WhatsApp Messenger''') is an American instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate [[Meta]].

==Consumer impact summary==

===User Privacy===
Collects and shares metadata, while competing apps intentionally collect less to avoid incursions on their users' privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elkind |first=Peter |last2=Gillum |first2=Jack |last3=Silverman |first3=Craig |date=7 Sep 2021 |title=How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907090516/https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |archive-date=7 Sep 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=ProPublica}}</ref>

===Market Control===
The combination of [[Facebook]], WhatsApp, and [[Instagram]], all owned by Meta, serves billions of active users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Stacy Jo |date=10 Jul 2024 |title=Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2024, by number of monthly active users |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wmIXV |archive-date=26 Aug 2024 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=Statista |quote=''[...] Meta Platforms owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with more than one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.''}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents in which this company is involved. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:WhatsApp messenger|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Message remote deletion and falsification (2017 and later)===
Since late 2017, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely delete messages for a limited duration after sending.<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_gets_ability_to_delete_messages-news-27955.php WhatsApp gets ability to delete messages - GSMArena.com news]</ref> This time limit was extended repeatedly, to slightly over an hour in 2018<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_time_limit_for_deleting_messages_increases_to_over_an_hour-news-30053.php WhatsApp time limit for deleting messages increases to over an hour - GSMArena.com news] (The exact time limit was 4096 seconds, which is 212.)</ref> and two and a half days in 2022.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-extends-time-limit-to-delete-a-message-to-60-hours/ WhatsApp extends time limit to delete a message to 60 hours – TechCrunch]</ref>

Additionally, since 2023, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely falsify messages for up to a quarter hour after sending. When a message is falsified by the sender, the recipient can no longer see the untampered message.<ref>[https://mashable.com/article/whatsapp-edit-messages-feature WhatsApp finally lets you edit messages, but you have to be fast - Mashable]</ref>

The WhatsApp software acts against the will of the device owner by letting someone else remotely delete or falsify existing information on their device retroactively. Many people are forced to accept this infringement of their ownership as a result of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect network effect], the high number of existing WhatsApp users.

===Data lock-in===
[[File:WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen.png|thumb|upright|WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen]]
There are several instances of [[data lock-in]] in WhatsApp. For example, if WhatsApp staff suspends an account, WhatsApp holds the message history hostage. The user is unable to access any messages stored on their device, unless they successfully appeal their suspension. This means WhatsApp staff has more control over some data stored on devices of WhatsApp users than the device owners themselves. This is as close as it gets to ramsomware without officially being labelled as such.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.02.11-152443/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-this-account-is-not-allowed-to-use-whatsapp-error-fix/ How to fix the WhatsApp 'This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp' error]</ref><ref>[https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/ How to Unban From WhatsApp Quickly and Regain Access (2024)]</ref>

Users also lose access to their messaging history unless they run a recent version. The developers behind WhatsApp could have provided users read-only access, meaning letting users read existing messages but not send new messages unless they update, but they chose to completely disable access to the messages until an update is completed.

There are situations where users are not able to update. These include being at a remote location with limited Internet access, exhaustion of ones mobile data plan, and having an older device where updating is not possible anymore because its operating system is no longer supported by a recent version of WhatsApp.

If a WhatsApp user has not used the service for four months, they are required to repeat the registration process before being able to access to their message history.<ref>[https://faq.whatsapp.com/120604060995491 Seeing “You have been logged out” | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> In addition, changing ones' phone number means losing access to all existing messages that were not backed up in advance.

WhatsApp also lets the user back up their messages to their Google account, but they are stored in a way they can only be accessed from WhatsApp, not externally.<ref name=TechCrunch-20220809>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-privacy-presence-control-screenshot-blocking/ WhatsApp is adding new privacy options, including screenshot blocking and a stealth mode]</ref>

WhatsApp provides a chat exporting feature which allows to export the entire chat history as a text file, optionally including media attachments, into a ZIP file. However, there is no way to export all messages at once. It has to be done for every contact and every group individually. Additionally, starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant through the "Advanced Chat Privacy" feature., meaning the user is at the mercy of the other participant to allow exporting.

There are legitimate reasons for exporting chats, such as creating backups in a human-readable and non-proprietary format, preempting erroneous account terminations ([https://karl-voit.at/cloud examples]), searching using external tools, and preserving good memories with people, including those of deceased individuals (as shown in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj5dxoMY-dE Ed Sheeran - Old Phone]'').

If one doesn't trust someone to keep something secret, one should not send it in the first place, like one not tell them in real life.

The developers of WhatsApp have threatened to block [[screenshot blocking|screenshots]] inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref>

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots.
</blockquote>

===Moral arbitration===
WhatsApp has used its dominant market share to act as a moral arbiter.

In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen, supposedly to "protect the privacy" of its users. This only is possible because the mainstream mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, let applications disable screen capturing against the will of device owners.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.12.22-151106/https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 About profile photo screenshot blocking | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

Profile picture screenshots are no privacy violation, given that they are something users voluntarily choose to make public on a visible spot of their profiles, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp. It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta, Inc.).

WhatsApp also introduced "view-once" messages in 2021 and disabled screen captures of them in 2022. "View once" messages are forcibly deleted after being viewed.<ref name=TechCrunch-20220809 />

===Introduction of advertising (2025)===
In June 2025, Meta announced that personalized ads would be introduced globally on WhatsApp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scharon |first=Harding |date=2025-06-16 |title=Ads are “rolling out gradually” to WhatsApp |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616190958/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-date=16 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> Previously, Meta (then known as Facebook) stated in 2014, after it acquired the application: <blockquote>''("[…] And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.")''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806121407/https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-date=6 Aug 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=WhatsApp Blog}}</ref> </blockquote>The personalized ads also utilize data from linked accounts on other Meta platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-16 |title=Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/helping-you-find-more-channels-businesses-on-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vErdo |archive-date=19 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Meta Newsroom}}</ref>

===Privacy policy update (2021)===
{{Main|WhatsApp updates privacy policy and millions of users flee the platform}}
There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=12 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=24 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

==Mandatory updates==
WhatsApp forces users to stay on updated versions of the app by first giving them an in-app warning if they have not updated for a while. If the user still chooses not to update, usage of the app will be disabled entirely {{Citation needed|reason=how long before this happens? any screenshots?}}. This is problematic in certain cases, such as being in an area with poor or limited internet connectivity or using an older device that is no longer supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Dylan |title=WhatsApp drops support for Android KitKat |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025193121/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-date=25 Oct 2023 |website=Android Police}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |date=2024-12-22 |title=WhatsApp to drop support for older Android devices on January 1, 2025 |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_to_drop_support_for_older_android_devices_on_january_1_2025-news-65834.php |archive-url=https://archive.ph/z9lWS |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=GSMArena}}</ref> 

==Alternatives==
*[https://www.signal.org Signal] offers most of the same features, and while [[Signal data collection|not without some issues]], the app is open source, relies on Privacy by Design, and is operated by a non-profit.

*[https://matrix.org/ Matrix] is more private and uses a federated design, but setup is slightly more involved than that of a commercial messenger.

*[https://telegram.org/ Telegram] is the most popular alternative and is end-user-friendly, with minimal content moderation. Prior to a September 2024 policy change, it refused to hand over user data to law enforcement upon request.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Lily |last=Jamali |title=Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |website=BBC |date=23 Sep 2024 |access-date=22 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923225048/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |archive-date=23 Sep 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:WhatsApp messenger]]

2026-02-11T16:01:17Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Data lock-in */ improved wording

{{ToneWarning}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American instant messaging app used globally.
|Founded=2009
|Industry=Social Media, Messaging
|Logo=WhatsApp Logo green.svg
|ParentCompany=Meta
|Type=Subsidiary
|Website=https://www.whatsapp.com/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:WhatsApp|WhatsApp]]''' (officially '''WhatsApp Messenger''') is an American instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate [[Meta]].

==Consumer impact summary==

===User Privacy===
Collects and shares metadata, while competing apps intentionally collect less to avoid incursions on their users' privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elkind |first=Peter |last2=Gillum |first2=Jack |last3=Silverman |first3=Craig |date=7 Sep 2021 |title=How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907090516/https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |archive-date=7 Sep 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=ProPublica}}</ref>

===Market Control===
The combination of [[Facebook]], WhatsApp, and [[Instagram]], all owned by Meta, serves billions of active users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Stacy Jo |date=10 Jul 2024 |title=Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2024, by number of monthly active users |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wmIXV |archive-date=26 Aug 2024 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=Statista |quote=''[...] Meta Platforms owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with more than one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.''}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents in which this company is involved. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:WhatsApp messenger|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Message remote deletion and falsification (2017 and later)===
Since late 2017, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely delete messages for a limited duration after sending.<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_gets_ability_to_delete_messages-news-27955.php WhatsApp gets ability to delete messages - GSMArena.com news]</ref> This time limit was extended repeatedly, to slightly over an hour in 2018<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_time_limit_for_deleting_messages_increases_to_over_an_hour-news-30053.php WhatsApp time limit for deleting messages increases to over an hour - GSMArena.com news] (The exact time limit was 4096 seconds, which is 212.)</ref> and two and a half days in 2022.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-extends-time-limit-to-delete-a-message-to-60-hours/ WhatsApp extends time limit to delete a message to 60 hours – TechCrunch]</ref>

Additionally, since 2023, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely falsify messages for up to a quarter hour after sending. When a message is falsified by the sender, the recipient can no longer see the untampered message.<ref>[https://mashable.com/article/whatsapp-edit-messages-feature WhatsApp finally lets you edit messages, but you have to be fast - Mashable]</ref>

The WhatsApp software acts against the will of the device owner by letting someone else remotely delete or falsify existing information on their device retroactively. Many people are forced to accept this infringement of their ownership as a result of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect network effect], the high number of existing WhatsApp users.

===Data lock-in===
[[File:WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen.png|thumb|upright|WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen]]
There are several instances of [[data lock-in]] in WhatsApp. For example, if WhatsApp staff suspends an account, WhatsApp holds the message history hostage. The user is unable to access any messages stored on their device, unless they successfully appeal their suspension. This means WhatsApp staff has more control over some data stored on devices of WhatsApp users than the device owners themselves. This is as close as it gets to ramsomware without officially being labelled as such.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.02.11-152443/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-this-account-is-not-allowed-to-use-whatsapp-error-fix/ How to fix the WhatsApp 'This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp' error]</ref><ref>[https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/ How to Unban From WhatsApp Quickly and Regain Access (2024)]</ref>

Users also lose access to their messaging history unless they run a recent version. The developers behind WhatsApp could have provided users read-only access, meaning letting users read existing messages but not send new messages unless they update, but they chose to completely disable access to the messages until an update is completed.

There are situations where users are not able to update. These include being at a remote location with limited Internet access, exhaustion of ones mobile data plan, and having an older device where updating is not possible anymore because its operating system is no longer supported by a recent version of WhatsApp.

If a WhatsApp user has not used the service for four months, they are required to repeat the registration process before being able to access to their message history.<ref>[https://faq.whatsapp.com/120604060995491 Seeing “You have been logged out” | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> In addition, changing ones' phone number means losing access to all existing messages that were not backed up in advance.

WhatsApp also lets the user back up their messages to their Google account, but they are stored in a way they can only be accessed from WhatsApp, not externally.

WhatsApp provides a chat exporting feature which allows to export the entire chat history as a text file, optionally including media attachments, into a ZIP file. However, there is no way to export all messages at once. It has to be done for every contact and every group individually. Additionally, starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant through the "Advanced Chat Privacy" feature., meaning the user is at the mercy of the other participant to allow exporting.

There are legitimate reasons for exporting chats, such as creating backups in a human-readable and non-proprietary format, preempting erroneous account terminations ([https://karl-voit.at/cloud examples]), searching using external tools, and preserving good memories with people, including those of deceased individuals (as shown in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj5dxoMY-dE Ed Sheeran - Old Phone]'').

If one doesn't trust someone to keep something secret, one should not send it in the first place, like one not tell them in real life.

The developers of WhatsApp have threatened to block [[screenshot blocking|screenshots]] inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref>

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots.
</blockquote>

===Moral arbitration===
WhatsApp has used its dominant market share to act as a moral arbiter.

In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen, supposedly to "protect the privacy" of its users. This only is possible because the mainstream mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, let applications disable screen capturing against the will of device owners.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.12.22-151106/https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 About profile photo screenshot blocking | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

Profile picture screenshots are no privacy violation, given that they are something users voluntarily choose to make public on a visible spot of their profiles, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp. It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta, Inc.).

===Introduction of advertising (2025)===
In June 2025, Meta announced that personalized ads would be introduced globally on WhatsApp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scharon |first=Harding |date=2025-06-16 |title=Ads are “rolling out gradually” to WhatsApp |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616190958/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-date=16 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> Previously, Meta (then known as Facebook) stated in 2014, after it acquired the application: <blockquote>''("[…] And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.")''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806121407/https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-date=6 Aug 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=WhatsApp Blog}}</ref> </blockquote>The personalized ads also utilize data from linked accounts on other Meta platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-16 |title=Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/helping-you-find-more-channels-businesses-on-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vErdo |archive-date=19 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Meta Newsroom}}</ref>

===Privacy policy update (2021)===
{{Main|WhatsApp updates privacy policy and millions of users flee the platform}}
There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=12 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=24 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

==Mandatory updates==
WhatsApp forces users to stay on updated versions of the app by first giving them an in-app warning if they have not updated for a while. If the user still chooses not to update, usage of the app will be disabled entirely {{Citation needed|reason=how long before this happens? any screenshots?}}. This is problematic in certain cases, such as being in an area with poor or limited internet connectivity or using an older device that is no longer supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Dylan |title=WhatsApp drops support for Android KitKat |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025193121/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-date=25 Oct 2023 |website=Android Police}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |date=2024-12-22 |title=WhatsApp to drop support for older Android devices on January 1, 2025 |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_to_drop_support_for_older_android_devices_on_january_1_2025-news-65834.php |archive-url=https://archive.ph/z9lWS |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=GSMArena}}</ref> 

==Alternatives==
*[https://www.signal.org Signal] offers most of the same features, and while [[Signal data collection|not without some issues]], the app is open source, relies on Privacy by Design, and is operated by a non-profit.

*[https://matrix.org/ Matrix] is more private and uses a federated design, but setup is slightly more involved than that of a commercial messenger.

*[https://telegram.org/ Telegram] is the most popular alternative and is end-user-friendly, with minimal content moderation. Prior to a September 2024 policy change, it refused to hand over user data to law enforcement upon request.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Lily |last=Jamali |title=Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |website=BBC |date=23 Sep 2024 |access-date=22 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923225048/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |archive-date=23 Sep 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:WhatsApp messenger]]

2026-02-11T15:59:59Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Incidents */ Ownership violations - WhatsApp is full of them. Disguised ramsomware and moral arbitration included.

{{ToneWarning}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American instant messaging app used globally.
|Founded=2009
|Industry=Social Media, Messaging
|Logo=WhatsApp Logo green.svg
|ParentCompany=Meta
|Type=Subsidiary
|Website=https://www.whatsapp.com/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:WhatsApp|WhatsApp]]''' (officially '''WhatsApp Messenger''') is an American instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate [[Meta]].

==Consumer impact summary==

===User Privacy===
Collects and shares metadata, while competing apps intentionally collect less to avoid incursions on their users' privacy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elkind |first=Peter |last2=Gillum |first2=Jack |last3=Silverman |first3=Craig |date=7 Sep 2021 |title=How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907090516/https://www.propublica.org/article/how-facebook-undermines-privacy-protections-for-its-2-billion-whatsapp-users |archive-date=7 Sep 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=ProPublica}}</ref>

===Market Control===
The combination of [[Facebook]], WhatsApp, and [[Instagram]], all owned by Meta, serves billions of active users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Stacy Jo |date=10 Jul 2024 |title=Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2024, by number of monthly active users |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wmIXV |archive-date=26 Aug 2024 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=Statista |quote=''[...] Meta Platforms owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with more than one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.''}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents in which this company is involved. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:WhatsApp messenger|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Message remote deletion and falsification (2017 and later)===
Since late 2017, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely delete messages for a limited duration after sending.<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_gets_ability_to_delete_messages-news-27955.php WhatsApp gets ability to delete messages - GSMArena.com news]</ref> This time limit was extended repeatedly, to slightly over an hour in 2018<ref>[https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_time_limit_for_deleting_messages_increases_to_over_an_hour-news-30053.php WhatsApp time limit for deleting messages increases to over an hour - GSMArena.com news] (The exact time limit was 4096 seconds, which is 212.)</ref> and two and a half days in 2022.<ref>[https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/whatsapp-extends-time-limit-to-delete-a-message-to-60-hours/ WhatsApp extends time limit to delete a message to 60 hours – TechCrunch]</ref>

Additionally, since 2023, WhatsApp lets message senders remotely falsify messages for up to a quarter hour after sending. When a message is falsified by the sender, the recipient can no longer see the untampered message.<ref>[https://mashable.com/article/whatsapp-edit-messages-feature WhatsApp finally lets you edit messages, but you have to be fast - Mashable]</ref>

The WhatsApp software acts against the will of the device owner by letting someone else remotely delete or falsify existing information on their device retroactively. Many people are forced to accept this infringement of their ownership as a result of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect network effect], the high number of existing WhatsApp users.

===Data lock-in===
[[File:WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen.png|thumb|upright|WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen]]
There are several instances of [[data lock-in]] in WhatsApp. For example, if WhatsApp staff suspends an account, WhatsApp holds the message history hostage. The user is unable to access any messages stored on their device, unless they successfully appeal their suspension. This means WhatsApp staff has more control over some data stored on devices of WhatsApp users than the device owners themselves. This is a lighter form of ramsomware.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.02.11-152443/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-this-account-is-not-allowed-to-use-whatsapp-error-fix/ How to fix the WhatsApp 'This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp' error]</ref><ref>[https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/ How to Unban From WhatsApp Quickly and Regain Access (2024)]</ref>

Users also lose access to their messaging history unless they run a recent version. The developers behind WhatsApp could have provided users read-only access, meaning letting users read existing messages but not send new messages unless they update, but they chose to completely disable access to the messages until an update is completed.

There are situations where users are not able to update. These include being at a remote location with limited Internet access, exhaustion of ones mobile data plan, and having an older device where updating is not possible anymore because its operating system is no longer supported by a recent version of WhatsApp.

If a WhatsApp user has not used the service for four months, they are required to repeat the registration process before being able to access to their message history.<ref>[https://faq.whatsapp.com/120604060995491 Seeing “You have been logged out” | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref> In addition, changing ones' phone number means losing access to all existing messages that were not backed up in advance.

WhatsApp also lets the user back up their messages to their Google account, but they are stored in a way they can only be accessed from WhatsApp, not externally.

WhatsApp provides a chat exporting feature which allows to export the entire chat history as a text file, optionally including media attachments, into a ZIP file. However, there is no way to export all messages at once. It has to be done for every contact and every group individually. Additionally, starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant through the "Advanced Chat Privacy" feature., meaning the user is at the mercy of the other participant to allow exporting.

There are legitimate reasons for exporting chats, such as creating backups in a human-readable and non-proprietary format, preempting erroneous account terminations ([https://karl-voit.at/cloud examples]), searching using external tools, and preserving good memories with people, including those of deceased individuals (as shown in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj5dxoMY-dE Ed Sheeran - Old Phone]'').

If one doesn't trust someone to keep something secret, one should not send it in the first place, like one not tell them in real life.

The developers of WhatsApp have threatened to block [[screenshot blocking|screenshots]] inside chats with "advanced chat privacy" enabled:<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.07.07-200053/https://cybersecuritynews.com/whatsapp-advanced-chat-privacy-feature/ WhatsApp’s New Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Protect Sensitive Conversations]</ref>

<blockquote>
The company has stated that this is the first iteration of the feature, with plans to introduce even more robust protections in future updates, potentially including measures to block screenshots.
</blockquote>

===Moral arbitration===
WhatsApp has used its dominant market share to act as a moral arbiter.

In March 2024, WhatsApp started disabling screen captures of profile pictures viewed in full screen, supposedly to "protect the privacy" of its users. This only is possible because the mainstream mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, let applications disable screen capturing against the will of device owners.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.12.22-151106/https://faq.whatsapp.com/1799783917198636 About profile photo screenshot blocking | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

Profile picture screenshots are no privacy violation, given that they are something users voluntarily choose to make public on a visible spot of their profiles, and never were a mandatory requirement to be able to use WhatsApp. It should also be noted that WhatsApp is ironically operated by a data harvesting company (Meta, Inc.).

===Introduction of advertising (2025)===
In June 2025, Meta announced that personalized ads would be introduced globally on WhatsApp.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scharon |first=Harding |date=2025-06-16 |title=Ads are “rolling out gradually” to WhatsApp |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616190958/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/ads-are-rolling-out-gradually-to-whatsapp/ |archive-date=16 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> Previously, Meta (then known as Facebook) stated in 2014, after it acquired the application: <blockquote>''("[…] And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.")''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806121407/https://blog.whatsapp.com/facebook?lang=en |archive-date=6 Aug 2025 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=WhatsApp Blog}}</ref> </blockquote>The personalized ads also utilize data from linked accounts on other Meta platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-16 |title=Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/helping-you-find-more-channels-businesses-on-whatsapp/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vErdo |archive-date=19 Jun 2025 |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Meta Newsroom}}</ref>

===Privacy policy update (2021)===
{{Main|WhatsApp updates privacy policy and millions of users flee the platform}}
There was widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update related to the data-sharing procedures with Facebook. It outlined how businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of their chats on Facebook servers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=12 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112161057/https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226792/whatsapp-privacy-policy-response-signal-telegram-controversy-clarification |archive-date=12 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> The update sparked a broader concern, prompting millions of users to abandon the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=24 Jan 2021 |title=WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124165416/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/whatsapp-loses-millions-of-users-after-terms-update |archive-date=24 Jan 2021 |access-date=6 Mar 2025 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

==Mandatory updates==
WhatsApp forces users to stay on updated versions of the app by first giving them an in-app warning if they have not updated for a while. If the user still chooses not to update, usage of the app will be disabled entirely {{Citation needed|reason=how long before this happens? any screenshots?}}. This is problematic in certain cases, such as being in an area with poor or limited internet connectivity or using an older device that is no longer supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Dylan |title=WhatsApp drops support for Android KitKat |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025193121/https://www.androidpolice.com/whatsapp-support-android-kitkat/ |archive-date=25 Oct 2023 |website=Android Police}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ro |date=2024-12-22 |title=WhatsApp to drop support for older Android devices on January 1, 2025 |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/whatsapp_to_drop_support_for_older_android_devices_on_january_1_2025-news-65834.php |archive-url=https://archive.ph/z9lWS |archive-date=11 Nov 2025 |website=GSMArena}}</ref> 

==Alternatives==
*[https://www.signal.org Signal] offers most of the same features, and while [[Signal data collection|not without some issues]], the app is open source, relies on Privacy by Design, and is operated by a non-profit.

*[https://matrix.org/ Matrix] is more private and uses a federated design, but setup is slightly more involved than that of a commercial messenger.

*[https://telegram.org/ Telegram] is the most popular alternative and is end-user-friendly, with minimal content moderation. Prior to a September 2024 policy change, it refused to hand over user data to law enforcement upon request.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Lily |last=Jamali |title=Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |website=BBC |date=23 Sep 2024 |access-date=22 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923225048/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo |archive-date=23 Sep 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:WhatsApp messenger]]

File:WhatsApp suspended account hostage screen.png

2026-02-11T15:46:12Z

JodyBruchonFan: WhatsApp holding user messages hostage until a successful appeal is filed. Data lock-in. Source: https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/ == Licensing (Android Open Source Project elements) == Copyright (2024) Android Open Source Project. Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0. == Licensing (What...

== Summary ==
WhatsApp holding user messages hostage until a successful appeal is filed. [[Data lock-in]]. Source: https://retainiq.io/blog/how-to-unban-from-whatsapp-quickly/

== Licensing (Android Open Source Project elements) ==
Copyright (2024) Android Open Source Project. Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.

== Licensing (WhatsApp elements) ==
This image of simple geometry does not meet the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain.

Firefox

2026-02-11T08:46:18Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Mandatory add-on signing (2016) */ clarification and grammar

{{Stub}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=Mozilla
|ReleaseYear=2004
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Browser, Web Browser
|Website=https://www.firefox.com/
|Description=Firefox is a free and open-source browser created and owned by Mozilla.
|Logo=Firefox_Logo.svg}}

'''{{wplink|Firefox}}''' is a free and open-source web browser developed by the [[Mozilla]] Foundation. It is officially available on Windows (10 and above<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 Feb 2025 |title=Firefox users on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 moving to Extended Support Release |url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729074747/https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support |archive-date=29 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Aug 2025 |website=Mozilla Support}}</ref>), macOS and Linux.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Aug 2025 |title=Firefox for desktop |url=https://www.firefox.com/en-US/browsers/desktop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729082008/https://www.firefox.com/en-US/browsers/desktop/ |archive-date=29 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Aug 2025 |website=Firefox}}</ref>

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
===User privacy===
Despite marketing itself as a security browser, by default "technical and interaction data" is sent to Firefox.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manage technical and interaction data collection settings in Firefox|url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/technical-and-interaction-data|website=Mozilla Support|access-date=August 31, 2025}}</ref> You can easily disable this with an [[opt-out]] option in the GUI settings.

However, some options cannot be conveniently disabled, and requires fiddling the settings in <code>about:config</code>. Some of these examples include:
*Integrated Pocket technology as a built-in extension, which in its Privacy Policy uses Google Analytics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pocket|url=https://getpocket.com/privacy?t=privacypolicy|date=August 27, 2025|website=Pocket|access-date=August 31, 2025}}</ref>
*Google Analytics in the browser.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Google Analytics is used to track users. #3145|url=https://github.com/mozilla/addons/issues/3145|website=GitHub|access-date=August 31, 2025}}</ref> Firefox stated they will not "give the 'data directly to Google'" but will "[collect] aggregate and non-identifiable data in numbers to ensure our development/UX changes are met well. [...] We need some data, anonymised and aggregated, to do this."

===User freedom===
*Heavily configurable via <code>about:config</code>.

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Mandatory add-on signing (2016)===
In 2015, Mozilla introduced extension signing (add-on signing) to Firefox, meaning the browser would show a warning if the user ran an extension not approved by Mozilla. This was later expanded to block the extension, but the user was able to override it by modifying an <code>about:config</code> property. In 2016, Mozilla took that option away as well. This means Mozilla is able to remotely disable extensions, removing ownership from the end user.

Shortly after extension signing was announced, the user base already responded negatively, stating how this would limit the freedom of power users.<ref>[Introducing Extension Signing: A Safer Add-on Experience | Mozilla Add-ons Community Blog https://archive.today/2024.01.22-024009/https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2015/02/10/extension-signing-safer-experience/]</ref>

On May 3rd, 2019, a technical issue with Mozilla's add-on signing service forcibly disabled all extensions of every Firefox instance connected to the Internet (excluding older versions that predate add-on signing).

In March 2025, Firefox versions before 128 (and <abbr title="Extended Support Release">ESR</abbr> 115) were rendered defective as a result of Mozilla no longer providing extension signing support for those versions, resulting in them losing the ability to run extensions.

<ref>[https://digdeeper.club/articles/mozilla.xhtml#historyofcontrol Mozilla - Devil Incarnate - History of anti-control] - Dig Deeper</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2016.04.20-194222/https://wiki.mozilla.org/Add-ons/Extension_Signing Add-ons/Extension Signing - MozillaWiki (2016-04-20)]</ref>

===Mozilla introduces TOS to Firefox (''02/27/2025'')===
{{Main|Mozilla introduces TOS to Firefox}}
On February 26th, 2025 Mozilla announced in their blog that they are introducing Terms of Use to Firefox, effective June 10th, 2025. <ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2025-02-26 |title=Firefox Terms of Use |url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Mozilla}}</ref> Their reasoning is to "give [the user] more transparency over [their] rights and permissions as [they] use Firefox".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Varma |first=Ajit |date=2025-02-26 |title=Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox |url=https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/firefox-terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |website=Mozilla Blog}}</ref> In the same blog post they announce an update to their Privacy Policy.

Under section "Mozilla Can Update or Terminate This Agreement" in the ToS, it is announced that updates to it will be posted online, and continued use of Firefox is taken as the user's acceptance of the new terms. No mention is made of any other commitment to notify the user (in-browser notification, etc.). In the next section, "Termination", it is explicitly stated that Mozilla will "try to notify [the user]" at their email address or next time they try to access their account, in case Mozilla denies or suspend anyone's access to Firefox.

===Mozilla removed the "nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license" in the Firefox TOS (10/06/2025)===
On June 10th, 2025 Mozilla has removed the "nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license" in the "[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/#you-give-mozilla-certain-rights-and-permissions You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions]" page of where the controversial [[terms of service]] clause used to be last seen<ref>{{Cite web |title=Firefox: About Your Rights |url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515140703/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |archive-date=15 Mar 2025 |access-date=20 Oct 2025 |website=Mozilla}}</ref> on March 15th of 2025. It is currently unknown why this change was made, as of current writing.

==Alternatives==
*[https://floorp.app/en-US Floorp]
*[https://librewolf.net/ LibreWolf]
*[http://mullvad.net/browser Mullvad Browser]
*[https://zen-browser.app/ Zen Browser]

==See also==
*[[Brave browser|Brave]]
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo Browser]]
*[[Google Chrome]]
*[[Microsoft Edge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Firefox

2026-02-11T08:40:10Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Incidents */ Nope, we will not forget the May 2019 scandal anytime soon.

{{Stub}}
{{ProductCargo
|Company=Mozilla
|ReleaseYear=2004
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Browser, Web Browser
|Website=https://www.firefox.com/
|Description=Firefox is a free and open-source browser created and owned by Mozilla.
|Logo=Firefox_Logo.svg}}

'''{{wplink|Firefox}}''' is a free and open-source web browser developed by the [[Mozilla]] Foundation. It is officially available on Windows (10 and above<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 Feb 2025 |title=Firefox users on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 moving to Extended Support Release |url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729074747/https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support |archive-date=29 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Aug 2025 |website=Mozilla Support}}</ref>), macOS and Linux.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Aug 2025 |title=Firefox for desktop |url=https://www.firefox.com/en-US/browsers/desktop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729082008/https://www.firefox.com/en-US/browsers/desktop/ |archive-date=29 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Aug 2025 |website=Firefox}}</ref>

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
===User privacy===
Despite marketing itself as a security browser, by default "technical and interaction data" is sent to Firefox.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manage technical and interaction data collection settings in Firefox|url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/technical-and-interaction-data|website=Mozilla Support|access-date=August 31, 2025}}</ref> You can easily disable this with an [[opt-out]] option in the GUI settings.

However, some options cannot be conveniently disabled, and requires fiddling the settings in <code>about:config</code>. Some of these examples include:
*Integrated Pocket technology as a built-in extension, which in its Privacy Policy uses Google Analytics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pocket|url=https://getpocket.com/privacy?t=privacypolicy|date=August 27, 2025|website=Pocket|access-date=August 31, 2025}}</ref>
*Google Analytics in the browser.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Google Analytics is used to track users. #3145|url=https://github.com/mozilla/addons/issues/3145|website=GitHub|access-date=August 31, 2025}}</ref> Firefox stated they will not "give the 'data directly to Google'" but will "[collect] aggregate and non-identifiable data in numbers to ensure our development/UX changes are met well. [...] We need some data, anonymised and aggregated, to do this."

===User freedom===
*Heavily configurable via <code>about:config</code>.

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Mandatory add-on signing (2016)===
In 2015, Mozilla introduced extension signing (add-on signing) to Firefox, meaning the browser would show a warning if the user ran an extension not approved by Mozilla. This was later expanded to block the extension, but the user was able to override it by modifying an <code>about:config</code> property. In 2016, Mozilla took that option away as well.

Shortly after extension signing was announced, the user base already responded negatively, stating how this would limit the freedom of power users.<ref>[Introducing Extension Signing: A Safer Add-on Experience | Mozilla Add-ons Community Blog https://archive.today/2024.01.22-024009/https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2015/02/10/extension-signing-safer-experience/]</ref>

On May 3rd 2019, a technical issue with Mozilla's add-on signing service caused all extensions of every Firefox instance connected to the Internet (excluding older versions that predate add-on signing) to forcibly disable extensions.

In March 2025, Firefox versions before 128 were rendered defective as a result of Mozilla no longer providing extension signing support for those versions, resulting in them losing the ability to run extensions.

<ref>[https://digdeeper.club/articles/mozilla.xhtml#historyofcontrol Mozilla - Devil Incarnate - History of anti-control] - Dig Deeper</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2016.04.20-194222/https://wiki.mozilla.org/Add-ons/Extension_Signing Add-ons/Extension Signing - MozillaWiki (2016-04-20)]</ref>

===Mozilla introduces TOS to Firefox (''02/27/2025'')===
{{Main|Mozilla introduces TOS to Firefox}}
On February 26th, 2025 Mozilla announced in their blog that they are introducing Terms of Use to Firefox, effective June 10th, 2025. <ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2025-02-26 |title=Firefox Terms of Use |url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Mozilla}}</ref> Their reasoning is to "give [the user] more transparency over [their] rights and permissions as [they] use Firefox".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Varma |first=Ajit |date=2025-02-26 |title=Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox |url=https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/firefox-terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |website=Mozilla Blog}}</ref> In the same blog post they announce an update to their Privacy Policy.

Under section "Mozilla Can Update or Terminate This Agreement" in the ToS, it is announced that updates to it will be posted online, and continued use of Firefox is taken as the user's acceptance of the new terms. No mention is made of any other commitment to notify the user (in-browser notification, etc.). In the next section, "Termination", it is explicitly stated that Mozilla will "try to notify [the user]" at their email address or next time they try to access their account, in case Mozilla denies or suspend anyone's access to Firefox.

===Mozilla removed the "nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license" in the Firefox TOS (10/06/2025)===
On June 10th, 2025 Mozilla has removed the "nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license" in the "[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/#you-give-mozilla-certain-rights-and-permissions You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions]" page of where the controversial [[terms of service]] clause used to be last seen<ref>{{Cite web |title=Firefox: About Your Rights |url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515140703/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |archive-date=15 Mar 2025 |access-date=20 Oct 2025 |website=Mozilla}}</ref> on March 15th of 2025. It is currently unknown why this change was made, as of current writing.

==Alternatives==
*[https://floorp.app/en-US Floorp]
*[https://librewolf.net/ LibreWolf]
*[http://mullvad.net/browser Mullvad Browser]
*[https://zen-browser.app/ Zen Browser]

==See also==
*[[Brave browser|Brave]]
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo Browser]]
*[[Google Chrome]]
*[[Microsoft Edge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-02-11T08:16:14Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* Ice piracy */ + video, The Hated One.

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-02-11T08:06:55Z

JodyBruchonFan: If a freezer was invented today, the establishment would label it "ice piracy".

Data lock-in

2026-02-10T15:51:22Z

JodyBruchonFan: + "and manage"

'''Data lock-in''' limits how device owners can access and manage data stored on the device they own. For example, some mobile applications store user data in a way they can only be viewed from inside the app, with no possibility of creating backups or moving them to external storage to free space. Many social media platforms make it difficult to export data. '''Data portability''' is a more consumer friendly approach, where it is easy to move data from one application or platform to alternatives.

==Incidents==
===Saved pages in Samsung Internet===
The mobile web browser by Samsung stores saved pages in the <code>/data</code> directory. This is a locked-in directory where apps store data only accessible to themselves.

Users have requested Samsung developers to change its browser to store saved pages in a non-locked-in place that makes them accessible from other applications and makes it possible to create backups, or to let users export copies of saved pages, but Samsung refused to implement this change. Some users have stored thousands of web pages this way before realizing they are unable to create backups or move them to external storage.<ref>[https://archive.today/2024.10.12-140435/https://forum.developer.samsung.com/t/regarding-saved-webpages/5304/1 Regarding saved webpages - Samsung Internet - Samsung Developer Forums]</ref>

Rooting a device would make the <code>/data</code> folder accessible, but this requires an unlocked bootloader. The process of unlocking the bootloader involves a factory reset, which deletes all user-generated files from internal storage.

In comparison, Google Chrome on mobile stores web pages as MHTML files in the download folder where they are not locked in, and Firefox on mobile completely lacks a feature to save pages.

===Saved pages in Apple Safari on iPhone===
Apple refers to saved pages as the "reading list", a name that implies the feature is intended for storing pages only until they are read, not for archival. Like with Samsung, people have asked for an ability to export saved pages. Apple has not responded.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.10-130524/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8293638?sortBy=rank How do you EXPORT your Reading List from Safari - Apple Community]</ref>

===User data in mobile web browsers===
No major mobile web browser lets the user export their session (list of opened tabs) and browsing history and bookmarks to a local file. Exporting all tabs may be desirable to start with a fresh session without losing the existing session, and exporting the history makes it easier to search for pages a long time after visiting, beyond what the browser retains.<ref>[https://beepb00p.xyz/sad-infra.html The sad state of personal data and infrastructure] - Karl Icoss</ref>

Some web browsers have a "Sync" feature that allows synchronizing tabs and bookmarks across devices, but it is cloud-based, meaning it depends on an online service that can cease to operate at any time.<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud/ You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud] - Karl Voit</ref><ref>[https://workona.com/pages/how-to-export-chrome-bookmarks/ How to Export Chrome Bookmarks for the Last Time] - Workona</ref>

===Text messages===
The built-in text messaging applications of both Android and iOS lack a built-in local export option.

On Android, the third-party app "SMS Backup+" can create exports, but they can not be directly stored locally, only uploaded to the middleman GMail, which requires Internet connection and a Google account, and can cease to function at any time due to Google API changes.<ref>[http://archive.today/2025.03.13-125718/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/974%23issuecomment-2721105904 Feature request: save to local file · Issue #974 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.03.24-225433/https://github.com/jberkel/sms-backup-plus/issues/1110 SMS -Backup+ unable to log into my email to backup SMS messages · Issue #1110 · jberkel/sms-backup-plus · GitHub]</ref>

On iOS, exporting apps require payment, an external computer, and save as PDF, resulting in much larger files than plain text.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.16-053829/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255416051?sortBy=rank Export iMessage conversation - Apple Community]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2025.10.16-053940/https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255674743?sortBy=rank I want to download my messages to an external drive (flash drive) - Apple Community]</ref>

Chat messages can be archived manually with screenshots and screen recordings, but this takes lots of time and manual work, and the resulting files can not be searched for text and will be much larger in size than a plain text-based export would be.

[[WhatsApp]] lets the user export messages to a text file, but this has to be done for each conversation individually, and starting with an April 2025 update, exporting can be remotely disabled by the other participant.<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.08.28-001731/https://faq.whatsapp.com/715385484388016/?cms_platform=web About advanced chat privacy | WhatsApp Help Center]</ref>

===Android data folder===
Since Android 11, apps can no longer browse the <code>Android/data</code> folder in the shared user storage (not to be confused with <code>/data</code>, which was locked in since the beginning).<ref>[https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/privacy/storage Storage updates in Android 11 | Android Developers]: If your app targets Android 11, it cannot access the files in any other app's data directory, even if the other app targets Android 8.1 (API level 27) or lower and has made the files in its data directory world-readable.</ref>

===Videos downloaded inside the YouTube app===
YouTube provides no official way for people to create permanent local copies of videos. This includes Creative Commons media.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 07:20</ref> The only exception is YouTube Studio allowing channel owners to download their own videos in up to 720p.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UHS1-vDMM Changes to Unlisted Videos Uploaded Before 2017], 4:30</ref>

While the YouTube app lets paying YouTube Premium subscribers download videos for offline viewing, the videos are only accessible through the YouTube app, encoded in a proprietary format, and forcibly deleted after 29 days.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/L1S0SiBuJN8 Google is Locking Down Android - Mental Outlaw], 06:41</ref><ref>[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7381437 YouTube videos offline FAQs - YouTube Help]</ref><ref>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3383/warning-youtube-premium-downloads-arent-mp4-files Warning: Youtube Premium "Downloads" aren't MP4 Files - Virtual Curiosities]</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/whats-wrong-with-youtube.html What's Wrong with YouTube - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation]</ref>

Permanent local copies are necessary to preserve Internet history when YouTube ceases to operate:
<blockquote>
Whenever I tell people that we need to plan for the day when YouTube goes offline, I mostly receive weird reactions. It seems to be the case that people can't think of YouTube being gone. Unfortunately, I'm convinced that most people will face the day when we lose this enormous library of videos.
</blockquote>
<ref>[https://karl-voit.at/cloud-dependencies/ My Dependencies on the Cloud] - Karl Voit</ref>

=== Telekom Entertain media receiver recordings ===
The German Telekom, an Internet and Internet Television provider, sells landline Internet television receivers and recorders. A former product line were the "Entertain" Media Receiver 300, 301, 303, and 500. (The 100 and 102 were secondary devices with no internal hard drives. The others had hard drives between 160 and 500 GB.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-101349/https://www.telekom-profis.de/vermitteln/news/media-receiver-mr-102-wieder-erhaeltlich-60.html Media Receiver MR 102 wieder erhältlich! - Telekom Profis] (June 2011)</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6725650 Media Receiver 100] (user manual)</ref><ref>[https://www.woogmedia.de:443/downloads/BDA_MR300.pdf Media Receiver 300 Bedienungsanleitung] (user manual)</ref><ref name=MR300>[https://www.hifitest.de/test/stereoanlage-und-komplettanlage/deutsche-telekom-t-home-media-receiver-300-380 Deutsche Telekom T-Home Media Receiver 300] - hifitest.de (June 2009)</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-101343/https://www.golem.de/1101/80856.html Media Receiver 303: Neuer Festplattenrekorder für Telekom Entertain - Golem.de] (January 2011)</ref><ref name=MR500 />)

Their operating systems were designed in a way that they would not boot without connecting to Telekom servers, and the devices stored the television recordings on their internal hard drive in a proprietary format, and provided the user with no means of copying or moving recordings to external media such as an external flash drive or hard drive, meaning users were forced to delete recordings when running out of disk space. While the devices featured up to two USB ports, some even an eSATA port, they had no use other than supplying electrical power.<ref name=MR500>[https://www.hifitest.de/test/sat-receiver-mit-festplatte/deutsche-telekom-media-receiver-500-sat-6114 Deutsche Telekom Media Receiver 500 Sat] - hifitest.de (June 2012)</ref><ref name=MR300 /><ref>[https://telekom.tarife-angebote.de/magenta-zuhause/entertain/media-receiver-empfaenger/mr303-iptv-festplattenrekorder Telekom Media-Receiver 303 (MR303 Festplattenrekorder)] - telekom.tarife-angebote.de</ref>

In 2019, its users lost access to all recordings stored locally on the devices when the online service their operating system depended on was shut down. The devices were in service for eight years (since 2011), meaning users would lose access to up to eight years of television recordings.<ref>[https://archive.today/2026.01.27-095619/https://web.archive.org/web/20190825100604/https://www.telekom.com/de/konzern/details/magentatv-loest-entertain-ab-558808 MagentaTV löst Entertain ab | Deutsche Telekom]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210412055921/https://www.onlinekosten.de/news/telekom-zieht-2019-beim-alten-entertain-den-stecker_214313.html Telekom zieht 2019 beim alten "Entertain" den Stecker]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Enshittification]]
*[[Right to own]]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Common terms]]

User:JodyBruchonFan

2026-02-07T20:27:02Z

JodyBruchonFan: The video Google doesn't want you to see.

Google

2026-02-04T23:32:21Z

JodyBruchonFan: /* The chargeback incident */ Black Friday was in November, but the post was from December.

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1998
|Industry=Technology
|Logo=Google.webp
|ParentCompany=Alphabet Inc.
|Type=Subsidiary
|Description=Google LLC, founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is one of the most influential technology companies in the world. Originally developed as a search engine to organize and index the growing amount of information on the internet, Google has since expanded into a wide range of services and products, becoming a central player in digital advertising, software, hardware, and cloud computing.
|Website=https://www.google.com/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:Google|Google LLC]]''', founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is one of the most influential technology companies in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Largest tech companies by market cap |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-market-cap/ |url-status=live |website=companiesmarketcap.com}}</ref> Originally developed as a search engine to organize and index the growing amount of information on the internet, Google has since expanded into a wide range of services and products, becoming a central player in digital advertising, software, hardware, and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Google Products |url=https://about.google/products/ |access-date=10 Mar 2025}}</ref>

Google's search engine remains its most well-known service, but the company has significantly diversified its offerings. Key products include the [[Android]] operating system, the [[Google Chrome]] web browser, [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Drive Google Drive] for cloud storage, [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps Google Maps], [[YouTube]], and [[wikipedia:Google_Play|Google Play]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Helpful products, built with you in mind |url=https://about.google/intl/ALL_us/products/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref>{{Citation needed}} Additionally, the company provides digital advertising services through Google Ads, generating the majority of its revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Feb 2025 |title=Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results |url=https://abc.xyz/assets/a3/91/6d1950c148fa84c7d699abe05284/2024q4-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025}}</ref> In recent years, Google has also developed hardware products such as the Pixel smartphone and Nest smart home devices.

Google has faced ongoing scrutiny related to data privacy, competition, and its dominant position in the market, such concerns have stretched as far back as 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Adam |date=5 Mar 2012 |title=Will We Ever Get Strong Internet Privacy Rules? |url=https://ideas.time.com/2012/03/05/will-we-ever-get-strong-internet-privacy-rules/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Sep 2023 |title=REPORT: Google at 25: From “Don’t Be Evil” To ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |url=https://techoversight.org/2023/09/06/google-at-25/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Tech Oversight Project}}</ref> The company has been the subject of various legal and regulatory challenges, particularly concerning antitrust issues, the use of personal data, and its impact on consumer choice.{{Citation needed}} The US government is currently engaged in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, with a decision expected early 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Nov 2024 |title=Closing Arguments, November 25: Once, Twice, Three Times a Monopolist |url=https://www.usvgoogleads.com/trial-updates/closing-arguments-november-25-once-twice-three-times-a-monopolist |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=US v Google}}</ref> {{UpdateNeeded|date={{subst:August}} {{subst:2025}}|reason=We need updates on this situation.}}

In December 2024, Google announced to organisations that use its advertising products, that from 16 February 2025, it will no longer prohibit them from employing [[wikipedia:Fingerprint_(computing)|fingerprinting]] techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Almond |first=Stephen |date=19 Dec 2024 |title=Our response to Google’s policy change on fingerprinting |url=https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/12/our-response-to-google-s-policy-change-on-fingerprinting/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ico.}}</ref>

==Anti-consumer incidents==

===Service shutdowns===

====Google Play Music shutdown====
[[wikipedia:Google_Play_Music|Google Play Music]] was a service that allowed users to purchase music, listen via streaming, and download to the local device; alternatively users could pay for a subscription to listen to all music available through streaming. It was publicly launched on the 16th November 2011 and later shutdown in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=Google Play Music, Music Play Store & Music Manager are going away – everything you need to know |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=28 Oct 2020 |title=RIP Google Play Music, 2011 – 2020 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref> Google Play Music further allowed users to upload their own songs to listen on all their devices, with a limit of up to 50,000 files.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=11 Jan 2017 |title=How to Upload Your Music Library to Google Play Music |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=How-To-Geek}}</ref> Users were able to purchase songs individually or buy whole albums that they could then download and listen to, or stream through the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Jan 2020 |title=How To Buy Music From Google Play (Now YouTube Music) |url=https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Technobezz}}</ref>

In October 2020, Google announced that they would be shutting down Google Play Music, with it being fully shut down by December.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=3 Dec 2020 |title=Google fully shuts down Play Music around the world |url=https://9to5google.com/2020/12/03/google-play-music-dead/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=9To5Google}}</ref> This went ahead with a warning to their users to begin migrating to [[wikipedia:YouTube_Music|YouTube Music]], and that they would be losing access to their purchased songs. Google recommended users should download their purchased songs before the service would shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=YouTube Music will replace Google Play Music by end of 2020 |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-end-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=YouTube Official Blog}}</ref>

After the shut down, users lost access to the music they paid for, with no way to download them. Google justified this by transferring all playlists and purchase history to YouTube Music, and only refunding songs that were not directly available,<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 Oct 2023 |title=What happened to my songs on Google Music? |url=https://darwinsdata.com/what-happened-to-my-songs-on-google-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Darwin's Data}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chaney |first=Sarah |date=5 Feb 2022 |title=What Happened to Google Play Music? |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/what-happened-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=MUO}}</ref> with no guarantee that the songs will remain available through the new service. Users found that their purchased songs were no longer able to stream at 320kbps on YouTube Music compared to Google Play Music unless they paid for the monthly subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cutlack |first=Gary |date=23 Dec 2012 |title=Google Music UK: everything you need to know |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/software/google-music-uk-everything-you-need-to-know-1120176 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=TechRadar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=L. Hald |first=Nicole |date=24 Mar 2025 |title=How Is YouTube Music Sound Quality in 2025? Is It Any Good? |url=https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/youtube-music-audio-quality.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=NoteBurner}}</ref> If a user failed to initiate the transfer of their music library or locally download their songs by 24th February 2021, then they lost all access and all data associated with Google Play Music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sodhi |first=Tanishka |date=8 Feb 2021 |title=Google Play Music Data Will Be Deleted on February 24: Here’s How to Transfer to YouTube Music |url=https://www.gadgets360.com/how-to/news/google-play-music-data-deleted-february-24-youtube-how-to-transfer-files-playlists-billing-information-2365609 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Gadgets 360}}</ref> YouTube Music does not provide the option to download songs as MP3s, with local downloads requiring an internet connection every 30 days to continue working offline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download music and podcasts to listen to offline |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313535?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]]}}</ref>

====Google Stadia shutdown====
In January 2023, Google announced the shutdown of its cloud gaming service, Stadia, which was launched in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RIP Google Stadia: the latest news on the discontinued cloud gaming service |url=https://www.theverge.com/23380140/google-stadia-ending-shutdown-latest-news-gaming-tech |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> Stadia required users to purchase games individually, unlike other gaming platforms that offer subscription-based access. Upon the service's closure, Google promised to refund consumers for their purchases, including both games and hardware. The refunds for games and software were issued automatically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ravenscraft |first=Erin |date=10 Nov 2022 |title=Stadia Is Dying. Here’s What’s in Your Refund and How to Get It |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-get-your-google-stadia-refund/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Wired}}</ref>

Stadia users were effectively renting access to games, as the platform did not allow for traditional ownership or offline play. With the service discontinued, consumers were left without access to the content they had purchased. Stadia users who had bought controllers and other peripherals for the service were also impacted by the shutdown. While Google offered refunds to customers, many Stadia consumers were left with equipment that no longer performs the advertised functions and limited recourse for repurposing or reselling their devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashworth |first=Mack |date=5 Oct 2022 |title=Stadia Shut Down: How To Use Your Hardware Now Google’s Shutting It Down |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/852697-stadia-shut-down-how-to-use-controller-chromecast-without-app |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Game Revolution}}</ref>

Google Stadia controllers were limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, however upon shut down they started offering an update to allow them to connect through Bluetooth, the update service website was scheduled to shut down on the 31st December 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=Richard |date=17 Jan 2023 |title=Bluetooth support for Google Stadia Controller arrives — Here's how to enable it and play PC games |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/bluetooth-support-for-google-stadia-controller-arrives-heres-how-to-enable-it-and-play-pc-games |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Windows Central}}</ref>

===='''Manifest V2 shutdown'''====
On July 24, 2025, Google permanently disabled all Manifest V2 extensions for Chrome 138 users as well as making Chromium (a browser that many other browsers use as their base) switch to Manifest V3, and disabled the ability to turn them back on.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-23 |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808191702/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-date=2025-08-08 |access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref>

Manifest V3 disabled the <code>webRequestBlocking</code> permission in the <code>webRequest</code> API<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers}}</ref>, preventing many ad content blockers (such as uBlock Origin) from working.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Understanding Manifest V3 and the Future of uBlock Origin |url=https://ublockorigin.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250812114916/https://ublockorigin.com/ |archive-date=2025-08-12 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=uBlock Origin - Free, open-source ad content blocker}}</ref> Google cites performance reasons <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-09 |title=Replace blocking web request listeners {{!}} Chrome Extensions {{!}} Chrome for Developers |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614074559/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/blocking-web-requests |archive-date=2025-06-14 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Chrome for Developers |quote="In Manifest V2, blocking web requests could significantly degrade both the performance of extensions and the performance of pages they work with."}}</ref>, but this is dubious; restricting content blockers prevents users from impeding their tracking and surveillance, meaning they can create a larger profit from the data gained. This is likely the ulterior motive, although unproven.

===='''Google Jamboard shutdown'''====
{{Main|Google Jamboard}}
In September 2023, Google revealed plans to retire its Jamboard service, as the product would be transitioned to a view-only format by October 1, 2024, and completely shut down by December 31, 2024. As a result, users had little time to transfer their data before the final transition and no refunds were ever issued to hardware buyers.

The Jamboard product was a $5,000 device that Google pitched as a collaborative tool through its Google Workspace service. After the service no longer existed, however, the device became a brick and the users as well as the buyers were left unsupported and uncompensated.

Situations like this highlight the vulnerability of the consumer market since proprietary products are completely at the hands of developers who can cut services on a whim. Thus, consumer protection must be taken to another level to ensure that no matter what companies get rid of, support and compensatory avenues exist.

===Google Assistant 3rd Party List Support===
On June 20th, 2023, Google disabled 3rd party list support for Google Assistant<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=2025-09-16 |title=Where are my old lists? |url=https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427212604/https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9415862#zippy=%2Cwhere-are-my-old-lists |archive-date=2025-04-27}}</ref>. This feature allowed lists through 3rd party services such as AnyList or Todoist to be managed via Google Assistant. The only list provider available through Google Assistant after this change was Google Keep<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathur |first=Chandraveer |website=Android Police |date=2023-05-31 |title=Google Assistant is killing support for notes and lists integration with third-party apps |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/google-assistant-ending-support-third-party-notes-lists/}}</ref>.

==='''Pixel 4a battery reduction update'''===
{{Main|Pixel 4a Battery Performance Program}}
On January 6, 2025, Google issued a software update to the Pixel 4a that significantly decreased battery capacity on "Impacted Devices". Not all units were affected. It's speculated that the affected units have defective batteries and may pose a safety risk if the update is not applied, but Google never disclosed the reason(s) that the update was deemed necessary. Google removed all factory images for previous versions of the system software from their website, making it difficult to revert the update.

As compensation, Google offered a free battery replacement only in select countries. In other countries, you could choose between a $50 USD payment or $100 USD worth of Google Store credits. However, some users reported difficulty obtaining their compensation.

===Blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps===
{{Main|Google blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps}}
On 25 August 2025, '''[[Google]]''' announced that starting in 2026 it will block the installation of Android apps from outside the Play Store unless the developer has verified their identity with Google. The policy will first roll out in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026, with global enforcement targeted for 2027.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=Suzanne |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Android Developers Blog}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref> This marks a significant change to Android's long-standing support for sideloading apps.

Devices without [[Google Mobile Services]] or running custom ROMs are exempt.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829170329/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=The Register}}</ref> Critics argue this restricts user freedom, impacts independent developers, and may enable Google to block apps it disapproves of, such as ad-blockers, raising concerns about privacy and control over personal devices.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=The Register}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |first= |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/810335/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=BleepingComputer}}</ref>

===Not providing a solution for Pixel devices bricked due to switching slots, flashing certain ROMs, downgrading the OS, or installing the June 2025 update===
Numerous Google Pixel phones have gotten bricked as a result of different use cases, such as accidentally switched slots, flashing custom ROMs or downgrading the bootloader version of the device after an Anti-Rollback (ARB) increment, accidentally or otherwise<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simons |first=Hadlee |date=2025-08-26 |title=Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Android Authority}}</ref>. The device enters an emergency download state called Pixel ROM Recovery, which is a Google modification of Samsung's EUB mode on Exynos chipsets. In this mode, it refuses to enter Android recovery or Fastboot, making it near impossible to restore the operating system on the device. The only way to fix it is to use Pixel ROM Recovery to boot a special, Google-signed recovery bootloader into RAM and flash a working version of Android from there.

This recovery bootloader is just a regular bootloader as it appears in Google factory images, but with a special "USB boot" bit flag set to 1. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-11 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330#comment19}}</ref>

However, this recovery bootloader is inaccessible to the public, and is not possible to recreate it without Google's private keys. This makes it impossible to repair a device in this state, other than to do a technically challenging repair involving desoldering the UFS chip to repopulate its contents or by replacing the motherboard altogether. Google stores and service centers outside of the US do not offer support for the device if it is out of warranty, even though the issue is completely fixable by software.

Numerous developers have worked on trying to find a solution to this issue, and have succeeded to varying extents. However, devices bricked due to the ARB trigger remain impossible to fix. Google has not provided any recovery images to resolve this issue, despite there being a sizable post on their bug tracker.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Pixel recovery bootloaders lack security reasoning for guarding |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-12 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker}}</ref> despite the fact that Google providing the recovery images for the repair will not compromise security, as explained by one of the developers in their report.<ref name=":4" />

==Controversies==

===Account lockouts===
Google has been reported to have randomly locked people out of their accounts due to ostensible security reasons, which are not lifted even if the user had provided the correct credentials and/or even if the user have correctly followed all the verification prompts such as SMS verification. These have caused anguishes for many affected users who are unable to access their contents, emails and services as a result. Furthermore, some had reported that they are forced to undergo SMS verification even when recovery email addresses are already configured to their accounts, thereby likely constituting instances of [[Forced identification|forced verification]] in broad senses.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/n5card/mike_rose_no_more_robots_publisher_locked_out_of/</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oy8qb8/fyi_google_can_lock_you_out_of_your_account_for/</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/154yht0/dae_noticed_that_google_had_taken_security/</ref>

===Deletion of inactive accounts===
In May 2023, Google announced that [[Inactive account deletion|deletion of inactive user accounts]] would occur starting in December 2023, citing security reasons, noting that old and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised. Google claimed that "Forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, have not had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user," while saying that Google "has no plans to delete [[YouTube]] videos".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawler |first1=Richard |title=Google might delete your Gmail account if you haven't logged in for two years |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725438/google-gmail-deleting-inactive-accounts |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=16 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Jon |title=Reminder: Google is about to start purging inactive accounts |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23979178/google-inactive-accounts-deletion-december-2023-psa-reminder |website=The Verge |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date=28 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Amadeo |first1=Ron |title=Google's new "inactive account" policy won't delete years of YouTube videos |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/googles-new-inactive-account-policy-wont-delete-years-of-youtube-videos/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en-us |date=17 May 2023}}</ref> The decision to delete inactive accounts has sparked some criticism and backlash. The cited security rationale behind such decision was ridiculed and was compared to a hypothetical scenario where a bank should be burned down if it is not secure against robbers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Google's plan to purge inactive accounts isn't sitting well with some users |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/19/google-faces-criticism-of-plan-to-purge-inactive-accounts.html |website=CNBC |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=en |date
=19 August 2023}}</ref> Such policies could adversely affect those who had good reasons to become inactive for a long time, such as hospitalization, prison incarceration, and being in totalitarian countries which have prolonged internet shutdowns. Moreover, the Anonymous hacktivist collective has protested against the decision to delete inactive accounts multiple times, describing them as "harsh" and saying that the decision will "destroy history".<ref>{{cite web |date=18 July 2023 |title=Anonymous puts Taiwan flag, national anthem on 2 UN websites {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-07-18 09:56:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4946597 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=18 October 2023 |title='Anonymous' hacks Chinese government site to protest Israel–Hamas war {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-10-18 19:03:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5022840 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 December 2023 |title=Anonymous posts Taiwan flag on UN site {{!}} Taiwan News {{!}} 2023-12-08 17:26:00 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5055454 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Taiwan News}}</ref>

===Google device repair program restrictions===
{{Main|Google asserts the right to seize your phone during a repair}}
Google's Service & Repair Program terms explicitly state that any device containing non-Google-authorized parts "will not be returned" to the customer.

===Target API level requirements for Google Play apps===
Google's policy of requiring apps for Android to target recent API levels to appear in the Play Store<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 Aug 2024 |title=Policy Center |url=https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Play Console Help}}</ref> creates a continuous cycle of maintenance and redevelopment that can be especially burdensome for smaller developers, indie creators, and consumers.

The requirement for apps to target newer APIs each year serves some legitimate security and feature purposes. However, it also effectively functions as a form of forced obsolescence. Even perfectly functional apps that don't need technical updates must be regularly reworked just to remain visible on the Play Store.

This creates several issues:

*Development resources must be allocated to updating apps rather than creating new features
*Smaller teams and individual developers are placed at a disadvantage attempting to keep up with the constant update cycle
*Legacy apps that are no longer actively maintained disappear, even if they're still useful
*The cost of maintaining apps increases, potentially making some projects financially nonviable
*Losing access to previously purchased apps when upgrading devices
*Users being unable to reinstall older apps that worked perfectly well for their needs
*Facing unexpected costs to replace functionality they've already paid for
*Dealing with the frustration of discovering favorite apps have disappeared

While Google argues this approach improves the Android ecosystem's security and functionality, it does place a significant burden on developers and can lead to the premature "death" of otherwise functional applications.

This creates a troubling disconnect in digital ownership. Consumers reasonably expect that when they purchase an app, they should maintain access to it across their devices over time. Instead, they discover their digital purchases can effectively vanish due to policy decisions beyond their control.

===Ban on third-party tech support ads===
Google prohibits tech support ads on their platform if they are not authorised by the manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graff |first=David |date=31 Aug 2018 |title=Restricting ads in third-party tech support services |url=https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |website=Google}}</ref>

=== The chargeback incident ===
In November 2022, a Google customer accidentally purchased two Google Pixel smartphones instead of one, directly from Google (no third-party reseller), and tried to return one package to Google for a refund, but the shipping was unsuccessful.

A Google customer support person suggested the customer to perform a chargeback. The customer acted accordingly without understanding the implications, resulting in the termination of their Google account shortly after. The account was 15 years old at that time.<ref>[https://www.virtualcuriosities.com/articles/3393/danger-chargeback-equals-account-permanently-banned DANGER!!!: Chargeback = ACCOUNT PERMANENTLY BANNED. - Virtual curiosities]</ref><ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/zndbku/tifu_by_accidentally_buying_two_google_pixels_and/ TIFU by accidentally buying two Google Pixels and ended up getting my 15 year old Google Account permanently banned. - Reddit]</ref>

==Anti-consumer legal cases==

===Rodriguez v. Google LLC (5/21/21 - Present)===
Google's Web & App Activity setting had the ability to be paused. Reportedly, despite this setting being paused by consumers, Google would continue to collect consumer data regardless of consent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodriguez v. Google LLC |url=https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ#faq1 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025}}</ref> This case is currently ongoing and has yet to receive a judgment.<ref>[https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/Documents Important Documents]</ref>

===Epic Games, Inc. v. Google Inc. (8/13/20 - 5/31/25)===
Google takes a 30% share of all revenue made through all sales made on the Play Store, which is a comparable figure to other digital storefronts such as the [[Apple App Store]] and [[Steam]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tom |date=7 Oct 2019 |title=Report: Steam's 30% Cut Is Actually the Industry Standard |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard |url-status=live |website=ign.com}}</ref> On 13th August 2020, [[Epic Games]] CEO Tim Sweeney updated both iOS and Android versions of ''Fortnite'' to redirect users to Epic Games' storefront to purchase in-game currency ("V-Bucks") alongside the respective first-party storefront, with incentives including cheaper prices if buying from Epic Games directly. This violated the Terms of Service of both Apple and Google's storefronts, and ''Fortnite'' was removed from both app stores the same day.

Epic Games would use this motion to file federal lawsuits against both Google and Apple, citing that these practices meant that the companies were engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Google lost in the lawsuit, but attempted to appeal the decision, in which they lost again.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=31 July 2025 |title=Epic just won its Google lawsuit again, and Android may never be the same |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/716856/epic-v-google-win-in-appeals-court |access-date=21 August 2025 |work=The Verge}}</ref>

==See also==

===Products and Services===

[[List of Google products]]
===Controversies===

*[[Advertising overload]]
*[[Google follows Samsung, asserts the right to steal your phone during a repair]]
*[[Google Nest Protect forced to use Google app]]
*[[Google Nest thermostat smart features disabled]]
*[[Google Pixel Watches do not come with repair options]]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Google]]