Technology

Good luck applying this sorta lockdown to PCs.

Fuck smart phones and neo feudalism. This is theft of ownership with a criminal complicit government. I applaud all Luigi's these people deserve it. These are the killers of democracy. If your device only runs factory filtered stalkerware garbage, all democracy is dead. All information is easily filtered by this proprietary shit. Freedom of the press is a bullshit tiny niche of the broader requirement for a fully informed public. The fucking "press" is bullshit to highlight. You must have fully informed citizens and you may not choose how that information is shared or disseminated between citizens. This is not democracy. People are so fucking stupid.

Oh. I better make no mistake and update to Oneui 8 when it comes in my phone.

Wait - is this about all radio devices or only mobile connectivity ones?

I.e., is WiFi affected as well? Or does it only affect internet that you access through your carrier?

The article says:

From 1 August 2025, new provisions will come into force RED Directive (Radio Equipment Directive), which redefines the compliance requirements for all radio devices sold in Europe.

Which technically would also affect WiFi.

If you don't control the device, you don't own the device.

So what? Linux computers are not compliant, can not use wifi, or what? I don't see how that prevents unlockable bootloaders, other than being used as an excuse by the manufacturers.

IIRC they're already doing this in China. I got hold of a chinese phone a while ago, and there was no way to install your own OS on it, you just had to use what came pre-installed, and i don't know how much state-sponsored surveillance was on that.

Wait, what does that mean for USB LTE devices? Devices that you can attack to a desktop computer to give you mobile internet. Last time i checked, they're widely available.

Would these become illegal as well?

An uncertified device can no longer be ... used

Oh, fuck. Call the French, they have the most active civil society that actually can burn a thing or two during a week or two. That is the craziest law ever, denying the most basic human rights! That is literally a prohibition of DIY of any kind.

This was the only reason I liked Android over iOS: the CFW community. I’ve been running some sort of CFW since Android 4.0. Now, the charm has gone. GrapheneOS, SailfishOS, e/OS, LineageOS, iode OS, and even CyanogenMod – I’ve used them all. Each one has its own target group and use case. I hope it turns into the better one again. It’s like forcing a PC to only run the OS it’s delivered with.

In terms of the radio rules. The radio has always had its own firmware on android phones. The rules could be implemented using hardware fuses and restrictions on signed firmware updates for those specific systems.

That is they make the "single model for the world" as is generally economically the best option in many cases. And before shipping to distributors it's stamped with the region and the fuses for that region are blown. Now it doesn't mean it cannot be used elsewhere. But it means that it will follow all rules for the certification stamped on the device.

That would mean that any firmware for the main operating system cannot command it to do anything outside of the limits defined by those rules. So it's not really a technical reason not to allow custom bootloaders.

But of course, probably the manufacturers generally don't want you to be able to remove their firmware that is often filled with sponsored required app installs. So this is a convenient way to pretend their hands are tied.

Not a coincidence that this comes I to existence just after TPM requirements. They want to lock everyone into using only government approved software. The death of freedom and liberty.

This sounds like bullshit.

An uncertified device can no longer be legally marketed or used

Ok, but I'm not marketing my LineageOS phone and I don't believe Samsung can be responsible for me using it. It sounds like phones with custom ROM will simply lose CE certification (unless the custom ROM is itself certified). Samsung obtains the CE certification and sells certified phone. Making them responsible for anything that happens after that (besides regular updates) is something completely different than what this article talks about. It would basically mean that Samsung has to make sure that their devices cannot be hacked/rooted but ensuring security of hardware and software is something completely different and is covered by different laws. Even the RAD website clearly says this:

"In 2021, the Commission decided to pause the initiative following the announcement of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), due to potential overlaps. In 2023, it was agreed that cybersecurity requirements would transfer from the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) to the CRA."