Protect Small Developers from Google's Android Verification Overreach

Google is quietly dismantling the open Android ecosystem that made it a platform for innovation, and I want you to act — investigate this policy and push for legislation that prevents dominant platforms from gatekeeping independent software distribution. Starting in late 2026, Google will require mandatory identity verification for any developer distributing Android apps on Google-certified devices, even outside the Google Play Store. That means a solo developer building a privacy tool, a whistleblowing app, or a niche utility for their community must hand over government-issued ID, personal address, and a fee just to reach users. The security justification doesn't hold up: malicious apps routinely pass Google's own Play Store review, and organized bad actors can absorb these costs far more easily than a small developer working alone. This is a free market problem. Google controls the certification that makes Android devices functional, and it's using that control to condition distribution on centralized approval. That's not security — it's a chokehold on competition. Small developers, open-source projects, and privacy-focused tools will be squeezed out while large companies with compliance teams sail through. Congress should be scrutinizing whether this kind of platform gatekeeping violates antitrust principles, and I want to know where you stand on it.