POLL: Should e-apps store incl. 'unsafe' apps?

Point taken. Then we also have Mum’s and Dad’s who want a phone and also want to communicate with their children and grand children spread all over the world and only reachable through the whatsapps of the app world. How do they install these apps. This is an easy way to install these apps for such users. They will see a list of tracker that get added and then decide. The rest of us who do not want these apps can happily live without downloading and installing them.
More importantly at the moment as @Pistou mentioned a good many of these apps do not work when installed through Apps Installer :frowning: that needs to be fixed.

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In my opinion, a clean environment (read ROM) should have priority in the task.

As soon as possible /e/ should be implemented on 9-pie for all supported devices.

At the same time a secure e.cloud & e.email according to EU data protection regulation (EU-DSGVO).

These features will attract media attention.

P.S. I am willing to pay a decent amount of money for good Un-Googled services.

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If there is f-droid available as default apps store, the can install aurora and with aurora they have access to all they want.

That’s the big misunderstanding of my statement. If people really need such worst apps like WhatsApp they could it install, but not with e-apps store. I think it will be a good ‘reminder’ if the user will search in e-apps store for an app and he don’t find it. Than he will remind: Oh, my app is ‘unsecure’ because it’s not available in e-app store. so the whole thing also has a learning effect.

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If /e/ doesn’t need manpower (costs money) to maintain a /e/ Apps Store, /e/ development could concentrate on a clean environment (read ROM).

With some of the savings, F-Droid Store and Auroa Store could be sponsored. The same goes for LineageOS and mircoG.

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As already stated, Aurora cannot be regarded as a long-term alternative store and can probably not be promoted by /e/ since it violates Google’s TOS.

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Agree with @GaelDuval /e/ OS should have it’s own App store, not depending on others. User’s who care about privacy can decide to install using the score, users who don’t care just download everything :slight_smile:

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What about a filter in e-Apps?

The initial (when starting/browsimg for the first time in Apps) filter could be set as “safe and untracking only”.

But the user could have the possibility to select another type of filter, where apps are scaled by their score on privacy and safety.

And messages such as “by installing this app, you’re agreeing with it tracking you and your data. Are you sure you want to install this app? - search for similar safe apps”

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I mean, if it’s all about “your Data is YOUR data”, then the user should also have the freedom to give these datas if he/she feels good with it… :man_shrugging:t2:

Thanks @harvey186 for having started off this discussion, but personally I disagree with what you are suggestion.

I see /e/ as an alternative Andoid eco-system for phones that respects privacy. For me it should be easy to use and work out of the box - out of the box as well respecting privacy.

BUT I would like my Mum being able to use it, and if she decides that she wants to install WhatsApp she should be able to do so - out of the box as well without installing something like Aurora. But she should be enabled as well to understand what she is actually doing and what would be the impact of installing an app such as WhatsApp.

There are many people caring for privacy on their phones but who are not ready (yet) to abolish all apps and services that they used to use before right away (as I am still sticking to my Gmail account for now). /e/ should welcome all those people and support them smoothly with their personal transition. For me that would imply:

  • facilitating the use of FOSS apps;

  • informing about alternatives to unfree and tracker stuffed apps (when showing WhatsApp, at the bottom of the page there could be a section ‘suggested apps’ that proposes WhatsApp alternatives)

  • providing (additional to the privacy rating that is already existing) a clear color code within the AppsStore (thanks @rurmonas for this idea) as well as a ranking for searches that gives priority to FOSS apps.

But for me there is another point. Independently from trackers, there are many apps relying on Google Services i.e. for Cloud Messaging. This dependency should be easily visible in AppsStore.

Furthermore, an /e/ user should find in the phones settings under Apps & Notifications easily again the information what trackers an app comes with and if there is a Google Services dependency.

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And there is one more thing. I’d bet that many users even here in the forum have a rough idea about trackes but do not understand what their impact really is, if there is a eally effective way to block them or maybe not.

What would be necessary to cope with that: awaeness raisin/enlightenment/low-threshold explainations that are compatible with a broad public.

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Hi, thx for your answer.'and thoughts. Do you know that this existing rate is a joke ? Have a look for example on WhatsApp. We all are knowing how bad this apps is but it has a rate 5/10. That couldn’t be.

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mom’s and dad’s will see WhatsApp is yellow. cool, I can use it because it has 5 auf 10 points.
And than, Facebook will get all of their data.

This can’t be the right way, sorry.

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I fully agree with you. but what I said is that with a default Android system there is a lot of trackers and apps are easy to access data or use trackers. The degooglization effort of /e/ bring the number of trackers from ~1M to ~30k or may be plus. This is a significant reduction for those who do not use any ads or trackers blocker.

The lambda user want a ready for use smartphone. He’s not going to worry about finding an Apps Store. Furthermore, F-Droid is a repository of FOSS apps and don’t offer the main apps used by people.

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@harvey186, I agree the existing rating scheme still needs a lot of improvement - as the whole AppsStore. But I recall when I first tried out F-Droid long time ago it felt extremely immature, but their store has well matured in the meanwhile.

For the moment /e/ is still under development and I believe discussions as this here help a lot shaping the vision of how should AppsStore could and should look like.
And: A few weeks after AppsStore was initially published the /e/team collected in detail all our feedback. I believe this will find its way into the product.

@GaelDuval defined well (13th post in this thread) the motivation for initiating AppsStore, let’s help building based on that.
And let’s think how to help users making a smooth transition from WhatsApp & Co to FOSS and tracker-free solutions.

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/e/fondation should get actually a didactic position.
You could be inspired of what we do for prevention of disease like paludism or Sida. Everybody may be confronted to paludism without be able to avoid a trip in an infected country. Nevertheless you’re not condemned to contract the sickness.
You do what you want, but you know what you do !
The main problem on Ggl Play Store is that you don’t know and it is so easy !

It is not being paranoid to say that as a Yann-geek or a Katell-grandma, we need :

  1. to be Informed of the risk
  2. to Prevent the risk
  3. to take a Decision
  4. to Find a Treatment (in case of “infection”).

/e/ app store would have to take in account these steps and guide the user to his own choice.

  1. Give information about the ways and the risks of tracking.
  • Partneship with LaQuadrature, for instance
  • I like the idea of filter @Gregoire : default safe and untracking, etc
  • A color code could visually help too.
  1. A dedicated security section of the /e/store, where we could get different way of protection
  • DNS filters
  • Proxy, etc
  • /e/fondation should put in full view the default /e/ apps and their qualities : efficiency, security, etc.
  1. You know what you are doing : do it !
    But you maybe won’t put a picture of your niece on her swing set on tiktok.

  2. Damned, Facebook is tracking me !
    To late ! Take yours datas and run away to Diaspora !
    :smile:

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I use Linage with F-Droid.
I did not think I was a Geek or Nerd, maybe I am.
F-Droid apps have information about permissions and a Web address to look up Bugs.
I also like the Colour code for Linux Mint Green = Safe, Yellow = Safe Mostly, Red = You Better know how to fix it if you break it.
But ultimately the choice is up to the user.
I have not dug around in e but Simplified instructions on how to back up with TWRP would be helpful.

How about we can have the /e/ appstore designed in 3 sections? One section is similar to Fdroid. Only opensource apps here. Another section (yellow section) is proprietary apps (maybe with few trackers, but no apps by GAFAM) Last section (red section) has all apps in Play store (like Aurora, like /e/ appstore is now)
3 sections, and all searchable, so everyone can use what section they like best!

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Maybe build-in firewall, some apps don’t need to go to the Internet at all. DNS add/tracker-blocker…

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You could have three colors green/yellow/red and also +/-. So that would be similar to a rating from 1 to 10 regarding trackers. Green + like 10, green 9, green - 8, yellow + 7, etc.

I would expect that with installing only green apps there would be no software on the phone making things like online tracking, location tracking, profiling, usage data collecting (only opt-in), device specs collecting and things like that. I guess no closed source app can be green.

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I don’t think we should restrict app access. Only thing I would suggest is to create a way for people to realise how trackers relate to the real world, like a list of news articles mentioning the app in relation to privacy.
I posted a feature request for that outlining my idea