Google implemented remote kill switch in Android, those rascals

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Cornelius @ Oct 16th 2008 3:52PM

You're absolutely right. And I'm getting tired of this misinformation.

The kill switch is only for apps downloaded directly through the App Store- er, "Android Marketplace". You absolutely have the right and ability to download and install apps outside of this service, and Google and your carrier can't do a damn thing about it.

More importantly, this kill switch has several guidelines. If people bothered to read the article, they'd notice that the kill switch will only be used if the app violates the developer guidelines. This means that the app will be killed if it turns out to be malware. The kill switch is for nothing more than damage control and covering one's own ass.

The Apple app store has a vetting process where submitted apps undergo some sort of approval process, making the kill switch unnecessary for the iphone (yet they still have it in place for some reason). However, the Android marketplace has no such vetting process, and apps uploaded to the marketplace are instantly available. This creates the potential problem where some unscrupulous developers may use the massive distribution network to install evil software (malware, spyware, etc) onto many devices. The kill switch would allow Google to pull the plug on this before too many phones become infected.

Furthermore, Google has been open and forward about this kill switch- hell, they themselves announced it. Unlike Apple, they haven't tried to hide this functionality.

Nothing sinister here. Go back to work.

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