Just saw this report from Techlore…
Goolag set to force use of Google Play Store as part of demonstrating that user is human via Captcha.
As viewers respond:
Google 2016: ‘Don’t be evil’ Google 2025: ‘Only be evil’
Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/OS the deGoogled mobile OS and online services
I saw this on the degoogle sub and was a little suspicious.
First because I’m still getting the old captcha puzzles so far on /e/ with MicroG. And also given how the developer verification issue has been a bit exaggerated in posts (not that it’s not bad, just that it’s usually presented as if there will be no way to install unverified apps, which isn’t the case).
Anyway, did a bit of digging and the Google site implies that the QR code thing will be one option for website owners alongside existing verification methods. The screenshots still show an icon for an audio challenge (which I suppose they have to include for accessibility reasons)- so maybe this will either be easy to circumvent, or at least only apply to a few websites?
Also, I wonder if anyway the QR code will work if you have MicroG. I see on the Graphene forum they are saying it works with sandboxed google play if they enable certain conditions.
Any ideas?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We will see (and hope for the best).
I am also interested whether the QR code mechanism can be re-implemented in microG. (I am not surprised that it works on GrapheneOS because it uses the real Google Play Services.)
There is already a feature request for microG: Support for the upcoming reCAPTCHA changes · Issue #3455 · microg/GmsCore · GitHub
I feel like this will also be used to track individuals further. Now an individual is going to have to use an iPhone or stock Google android phone to scan a qr code, will the site capture any user info in the process of completing the captcha? Even if full Linux phones came to market and were viable, this would lock them out of parts of the Internet as well.
My thoughts: supposing apple and google “lock down” their respective ecosystems via verification methods. This then said to be done in the name of security. This can then be challenged as monopoly (which used to be and I believe still is in law prohibited with legal reference to the 18th century and the rearing twenties to name two pertinent examples)
The whole basis that FOSS exists, aside from founders of the tech who helped design the internet itself, is a philosophy akin to “right to repair”. Look at the limit placed on a particular distro of google or apple. They phase it out after a period of time. This is merely the capitalistic model making you “buy more stuff”. Data collection is only part of that picture.
If they seperate the ecosystems by excluding FOSS OS’es then they risk challenge of monopolist law. If they railroad it then FOSS will end up with its own ecosystem and users will just exist with separate access to the same system. We will just adapt to it as we always have done.
In my opinion, it is no big deal and may be interesting from a narrative point of view in history if it does go ahead. It will just illustrate the continuing evolution of tech, law and human sociology on the timeline of history.
I have followed the link posted by another user on GitHub, which leads to the Google documentation.
The box at the beginning states that
Hence, the old (and frustrating 
) “click on all cars” challenges will (probably) still be available. (I think that we all agree that https://doom-captcha.vercel.app/ is a much better and accessible option 
.)
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