VideoLAN @videolan App Stores were a mistake. Currently, we cannot update VLC on Windows Store, and we cannot update VLC on Android Play Store, without reducing security or dropping a lot of users… For now, iOS App Store still allows us to ship for iOS9, but until when?
From their Twitter:
If you wonder why we can’t update the VLC on Android version, it’s because Google refuses to let us update:
- either we give them our private signing keys,
- or we drop support for Android TV before API-30, and all our users on TV API<30 can’t get fixes.
It’s not much, just dozens of millions of people use Android TV before Android-11…
Maybe we should tell users to buy new TVs? #electronicWaste
I can’t speak to why they’re not updating on FDroid but seeing as how it’s much more difficult to get people to use FDroid on Android TV, I don’t think it will help them with that issue anyway.
Google requiring their private signing key is insane, and goes completely against the concept of private/public keys.
Why is Google asking for this?
C-I-A Confidentiality, Integrity, Accessibility. They don’t need the keys for C or A. Only one option remains. To modify the code and pass it off as code VLC wrote or signed off on.
Likely to install malware and re-sign. Brazen identity theft.
Maybe I’m wrong, they could use VLC’s private keys to gobble encrypted communications too.
See also: NSA PRISM
Member when all the companies listed released a PR statement within 24 hours of each other, all very basic and denied allowing the NSA direct access to their users?
I member.
