If we define malware as it is defined here, windows defender is malware.
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2026
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This is such an overwhelming power grab in line with all the other crap they are currently pushing like disabling Manifest V2. The US urgently needs to ramp up their antitrust legislation, or else - if you extrapolate the current trajectories - they might soon be in a position where the US government has to do what google says and not the other way around
Remember when Apple were supposed to be the bad guys and Google/Android were “one of us”?
Marketing at its best....
Is this something we can opt out of, like how we can for Play Protect?
You can buy a DeGoogled Android from Fairphone or Murena. Or if you have a Pixel, you can install grapheneos.
The implementation about to be done is actually just another smaller step to trying to be completely locked down.
In the same way you have to go and allow developer options to install apks outside of the play store now, this new thing will take you a couple more clicks to enable it and have a one time 24 hour waiting period before you can install whatever you want.
Best way is to not include it in the first place by using another ROM. If that's not an option, you can always remove it via root. It may also be possible to use ADB/Shizuku to get rid of it, but Google could add checks to prevent ADB from removing it. Then again apps installed via ADB aren't subject to verification.
AFAIK you can only avoid it by using a custom ROM like GrapheneOS
My phone doesn't have any custom ROM support yet, so I guess I'm screwed? I love F-Droid, but this missive amounts to just ragebait for people who don't have Pixel devices.
I've been meaning to switch forever now...
I'm all set then.