Open Letter to Google on Mandatory Developer Registration for App Distribution

An open letter, signed by various civil society organizations, non-profits, and tech companies, vehemently opposes Google's upcoming policy for mandatory developer registration to distribute Android applications. This policy, set to take effect worldwide, would require all Android developers to register centrally with Google, including submitting government-issued identification, even if they distribute apps via their own websites, third-party stores, or direct transfers. The letter urges Google to withdraw this policy, asserting it threatens innovation, competition, privacy, and user freedom by imposing an "alien security model" that runs counter to Android's historic openness.

Key concerns raised by the letter include:

• Gatekeeping Beyond Google's Store: The policy extends Google's control to distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role, forcing developers to seek permission and potentially enabling Google to disable any app in the entire ecosystem.
• Barriers to Entry and Innovation: Mandatory registration creates hurdles for individual and open-source developers, privacy-focused creators, activists, and those in regions with limited access, reducing diversity and concentrating power.
• Privacy and Surveillance Concerns: Creating a comprehensive database of all Android developers raises questions about personal data storage, security, use, government requests, tracking, and the impact on sensitive applications.
• Arbitrary Enforcement and Account Termination Risks: Criticisms of Google's existing opaque app review processes extend to this new system, risking arbitrary rejections, automated decisions, and the loss of distribution for developers.
• Anticompetitive Implications: The policy grants Google intelligence on all Android development, potentially allowing it to preempt competitors, gain unfair advantages, and raise antitrust questions.
• Regulatory Concerns: The move conflicts with global regulatory scrutiny on dominant platforms restricting competition and raises issues about increased surveillance and impediments to software freedom.

The letter argues that Android's existing security mechanisms—such as OS-level security, sandboxing, user warnings for sideloading, Google Play Protect, and developer signing certificates—are already sufficient. It calls upon Google to immediately rescind the requirement, engage in transparent dialogue about security improvements, and commit to platform neutrality to preserve Android's open principles. The signatories emphasize that centralizing power in one corporation is antithetical to free speech, free software, competition, and digital sovereignty.