I'd write it in PHP. PHP is a horrible language.

It's also an easy to *deploy* language, supported by nearly every hosting provider on the planet. If I want users, then it's what I target.

If I wanted a good language, I'd write it in java ... for both of my users. Enterprise users.

On SSH ports? No.

SMTP and HTTPS? Yes.

It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition.

DMVs sell this data.

The proof is that a Chinese company controls the firmware updates.

It was the exact same problem my company faced trying to sell security software globally. We were approached by representatives of a Chinese company responsible for various technology transfers, and they made it clear that the only way we were going to go into China was if they bought us. Otherwise, the mere fact that we controlled the keys was sufficient to exclude us from selling anywhere in China.

If you control the firmware, you essentially have a backdoor, and having critical security or infrastructure keys controlled by a hostile nation is a security risk. One doesn't have to prove an attack has happened, merely that it could.

Largely, yes.

The 10 and earlier have a known security exploit that's used for jailbreaking. That vector can't be patched (hardware flaw), and it would be very surprising if the decryption vendors didn't use it.

... which does absolutely nothing when the app can connect to a server, which will tell the app what it's IP address is.

A lot of the multiple signups are legitimate. As an example, I'm registered multiple times.

I'm sitting at an Airport. Literally, the only ISP actually here is AT&T Fiber. They want $800/mo for 20mbps. We have three buildings, and before I got brought in, the plan was to pay $2400/mo.

I put in a wireless point-to-point, and now we're paying $800/mo for 20mbps that's split among three buildings. I had a cable point-to-point that would have made things better, but COVID shut that down (can't get in the building). I've got another company willing to do point-to-point, but that's going to be $800/mo for 100mbit.

If Starlink is reasonable, that's three buildings here.

I have a home and a travel trailer for when I'm working in the field. Wireless internet through hotspots and trailer parks suck. There's a fourth install.

The cable internet keeps going up and down at my house. I have cameras and automation I want to keep working. If Starlink is functional, I'm going to set it up as a secondary internet with the cable.

So, I represent at least 5 installs the moment it's available. There are plenty other people in similar situations.

Skip the app. IOS and Android have native VPN support.

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

They open sourced the game, but not the runtime that runs it. This lets them allow mods, but prevents the free-for-all cheating that would come with complete open source.

Because part of what makes reCaptcha so effective is that it's linked to your Google history, which does a good job of separating bots from humans.

That's the service that provides location services to other apps, rather than having every single app duplicate that functionality. It augments GPS location with Wi-Fi location and cellular tracking to provide accurate tracking under nearly any circumstance.

Of course. If selling user activity is a revenue source, nobody's going to want to give that cash up.

Candy Crush? We've now got AR, fitness, and social functionality! You get 1000 gems per mile walked.

"I don’t see why they need this"

As the parent post described, "so that it doesn't get marked idle and killed if it's running in the background while I do something else like listen to music or YouTube"

The operating system does not at present offer a way to notify an app whenever a photo is taken, and allow that application to persist long enough to do the backup. Dropbox uses background location or activity tracking (depending on the platform) to provide a way to wake up the app, in much the same way that persistent task entries were used previously on android. I don't give Dropbox those permissions, so I have to remember to go into the app to kick off those uploads.

If IOS and Android didn't have those measures, all the daemons that apps would leave running would ultimately kill everyone's battery life.

The general rule is that you canâ(TM)t leverage a monopoly in one industry to gain a monopoly in another.

Apple lacked the market share in the past to be considered a monopoly, so they (like other small players) were not required to open their platforms.

Mobile is now effectively a duopoly, and Google runs an open-ish platform (with APK sideloading). That puts Apple in the crosshairs for regulation.

They apparently changed their business model from buying and reselling to consignment (basically expecting the suppliers to foot the bill for their inventory).

It hasn't gone well.