Antitrust | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Google has announced plans to begin verifying the identity of all developers who distribute apps on Android, even for those who distribute their software outside the Play Store. "Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed by users on certified Android devices," the company said . "This creates crucial accountability, making it much harder for malicious actors to quickly distribute another harmful app after we take the first one down." To that end, the tech giant said it intends to start sending out invitations gradually starting October 2025, before opening it up to all developers in March 2026. The new requirements are expected to go into effect starting a year from now, in September 2026, in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. "At this point, any app installed on a certified Android device in these regions must be registered by a verified developer," Suzanne Frey, vice president of Product,...

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), along with 16 other state and district attorneys general, on Thursday  accused  Apple of illegally maintaining a monopoly over smartphones, thereby undermining, among other things, the security and privacy of users when messaging non-iPhone users. "Apple wraps itself in a cloak of privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive conduct," the landmark antitrust lawsuit  said . "Apple deploys privacy and security justifications as an elastic shield that can stretch or contract to serve Apple's financial and business interests." "Apple selectively compromises privacy and security interests when doing so is in Apple's own financial interest – such as degrading the security of text messages, offering governments and certain companies the chance to access more private and secure versions of app stores, or accepting billions of dollars each year for choosing Google as its default search engin...