Episode 53 - Locked Out: How Governments and Google Are Closing the Open Internet

Show Notes - https://forum.closednetwork.io/t/episode-53-locked-out-how-governments-and-google-are-closing-the-open-internet/178Website / Donations / Support - https://closednetwork.ioBTC Lightning Donations - [email protected] / [email protected] You Patreons! - https://www.patreon.com/closednetworkMichael Bates - Privacy Bad AssDavid - Privacy Bad AssTK - Privacy Bad AssDavid - Privacy Bad AssVO - Privacy Bad AssMrMilkMustache - Privacy SupporterHutch - Privacy AdvocateTOP LIGHTNING BOOSTERS !!!! THANK YOU !!!@bon 108k SATS!@wartime - 22,861 SATS@SircussMedia - 48,663 SATS!@sn@x@fireflygo 6,517 SATS !! - 17,567 !!@unkown@anonymousThank You To Our Moderators:Unintelligentseven - Follow on NOSTR primal.net/p/npub15rp9gyw346fmcxgdlgp2y9a2xua9ujdk9nzumflshkwjsc7wepwqnh354dMaddestMax - Follow on NOSTR primal.net/p/npub133yzwsqfgvsuxd4clvkgupshzhjn52v837dlud6gjk4tu2c7grqq3sxavtJoin Our CommunityClosed Network Forum - https://forum.closednetwork.ioJoin Our Matrix Channels!Main - https://matrix.to/#/#closedntwrk:matrix.orgOff Topic - https://matrix.to/#/#closednetworkofftopic:matrix.orgSimpleX Group Chat - https://smp9.simplex.im/g#SRBJK7JhuMWa1jgxfmnOfHz7Bl5KjnKUFL5zy-Jn-j0Join Our Mastodon server!https://closednetwork.socialFollow Simon On The SocialsMastodon - https://closednetwork.social/@simonNOSTR - Public Address - npub186l3994gark0fhknh9zp27q38wv3uy042appcpx93cack5q2n03qte2lu2 - primal.net/simonTwitter / X - @ClosedNtwrkInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/closednetworkpodcast/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@closednetworkEmail - [email protected] NotesIn 2026, two massive shifts are quietly closing the open internet — one driven by governments, one by Google. The first: California, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas, Utah, and countries across the world are passing laws requiring operating systems to collect your age at device setup and broadcast it to every app you install. The second: Google is requiring every Android app developer — even those who never touch the Play Store — to submit government ID, pay a fee, and register with Google, or have their apps blocked from 95% of Android devices worldwide by 2027. Both policies hit the privacy community hardest: the apps most threatened are the open-source tools, anonymous utilities, and F-Droid staples that privacy-conscious users depend on. In this episode, we break down both stories in plain language, connect the dots between them, and walk through practical steps every listener can take — from DeGoogled phones to VPNs to backing up your APKs before the window closes. If you care about who controls your device, this episode is essential listening.Timestamps0:00 — Cold Open: Two Stories, One Threat5:00 — Part 1: OS-Level Age Verification — What It Is10:00 — The US Laws (California, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas, Utah, Colorado)18:00 — The International Wave (Australia, UK, EU, and beyond)23:00 — Why This Matters for Everyone's Privacy28:00 — Part 2: Google Closes Android33:00 — What Developer Verification Actually Requires38:00 — Who Gets Hurt (F-Droid, anonymous devs, privacy tools)46:00 — Who Is Fighting Back52:00 — Connecting the Dots: The Same Story, Two Actors62:00 — What You Can Do Right Now75:00 — Wrap-Up & TakeawaysKey Laws & Legislation ReferencedCalifornia AB 1043 (Digital Age Assurance Act) — Effective January 1, 2027Louisiana HB 570 — Effective July 1, 2026Illinois SB 3977 — Effective January 1, 2027Texas SB 2420 — Mobile-focused age verificationUtah SB 142 — Partially in force, additional provisions through December 2026Colorado SB26-051 — Proposed; effective date January 1, 2028UK Online Safety Act 2023 — In force July 25, 2025Australia Online Safety Act — Social media ban December 2025; search engines June 2026Google Developer Verification Policy — Enforcement begins September 2026; global 2027Organizations & Movements ReferencedKeep Android Open (keepandroidopen.org) — Campaign opposing Google's developer verificationF-Droid (f-droid.org) — Open-source Android app repository; signed the open letterElectronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org) — Digital rights advocacy; fighting both issuesFree Software Foundation (fsf.org) — Open-source advocacy; signed the open letterTor Project (torproject.org) — Anonymity network; signed the open letterProton AG (proton.me) — Privacy-focused email and VPN; signed the open letterNextcloud, Fastmail, Vivaldi, Article 19 — Also among the 37+ open letter signatoriesTools & Platforms MentionedGrapheneOS (grapheneos.org) — Most privacy-hardened Android alternative; AOSP-based; exempt from both policies discussedCalyxOS (calyxos.org) — Privacy-focused Android alternative; AOSP-based; exemptLineageOS (lineageos.org) — Broad device compatibility; AOSP-based; exempt/e/OS (e.foundation) — DeGoogled Android; AOSP-based; exemptF-Droid (f-droid.org) — Open-source app repository; source-code audited appsSignal (signal.org) — End-to-end encrypted messagingOrbot — Tor for Android; available on F-DroidProton Mail / Tutanota — End-to-end encrypted emailAPK Extractor — Tool for backing up installed app files