Hacker News: Magnusmaster

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Volkswagen started blocking GrapheneOS users"

Magnusmaster — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 03:36:09 +0000

Probably by forcing VPNs to only allow approved operating systems to connect to the Internet via hardware attestation, then those operating systems will only allow users to install signed apps, and only government-approved VPNs will be allowed.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Volkswagen started blocking GrapheneOS users"

Magnusmaster — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 03:30:26 +0000

I'm not sure that is even possible with Secure Boot

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Surveillance is not safety: A statement on the UK's latest threat to privacy [pdf]"

Magnusmaster — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:31:51 +0000

Zero knowledge proofs exist in theory, but none of these age verification laws that are introduced use them, probably on purpose. I'm certain that every government will want to know what sites everyone visits.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Hardware Attestation as Monopoly Enabler"

Magnusmaster — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:58:30 +0000

The people pushing for age verification have already said that they want to know who's behind every account on every website on the entire Internet. They won't accept any open or privacy-preserving standard.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Hardware Attestation as Monopoly Enabler"

Magnusmaster — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:56:41 +0000

The third world is also pushing Digital ID. In fact they would love it even more than the first world as it would allow for even more totalitarianism.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Hardware Attestation as Monopoly Enabler"

Magnusmaster — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:19:10 +0000

And it was a huge mistake. The laws are the same for everyone. If Apple can do this then so can Google.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Your phone is an entire computer"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:50:04 +0000

Problem is a lot of apps require a locked-down device. You can't use a phone that isn't locked down in most of the world. And it will spread to PCs eventually.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Meta Platforms: Lobbying, dark money, and the App Store Accountability Act"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:14:11 +0000

The EU Digital Wallet requires hardware attestation so only it only works on locked-down government-approved OSes. That opens the door for government control of all electronic devices.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Meta Platforms: Lobbying, dark money, and the App Store Accountability Act"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:12:23 +0000

Zero knowledge proofs stops corporations from tracking you, but they don't stop the government from tracking which websites you visit. They also require hardware attestation for them to work, which means you will be only allow to use a locked-down goverment-approved OS for age verification, and that opens the door for the government to control the software running on every device.

What's the deal with "age verification" and computers?

Magnusmaster — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:18:25 +0000

Article URL: https://rudd-o.com/linux-and-free-software/what-is-going-on-with-age-verification-in-computers

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47282897

Points: 10

# Comments: 0

New comment by Magnusmaster in "The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:26:44 +0000

I doubt banks or the government would ever white list something like Lineage that's not made by some megacorporation. Also IIRC most phones don't allow you to relock the bootloader after flashing a custom ROM.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:16:25 +0000

Most banks don't know hardware tokens are a thing. They want everyone to use their app.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:12:21 +0000

To avoid confusion, the actual name is Trusted Platform Module.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:11:34 +0000

They won't need to do that. Once Google Play Integrity starts using remotely provisioned keys in a few years it will be impossible to hide root without exploiting a hardware or firmware vulnerability.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:10:27 +0000

You don't own your PC either. All modern PCs have a Trusted Platform Module that the authorities can and will use to lock down PCs eventually. Multiplayer games are already using hardware attestation on PC for anti-cheat.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app"

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:00:11 +0000

The Vietnamese government has mandated all banking apps to detect if either the phone has been rooted, the bootloader has been unlocked, or ADB is enabled and force quit if that's the case.

The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app

Magnusmaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:00:11 +0000

Article URL: https://xdaforums.com/t/discussion-the-root-and-mod-hiding-fingerprint-spoofing-keybox-stealing-cat-and-mouse-game.4425939/page-118

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46555963

Points: 547

# Comments: 620

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Things I learnt about passkeys when building passkeybot"

Magnusmaster — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 01:24:37 +0000

You already need to submit to iOS or stock Android for a myriad of banking or government apps that use remote attestation to verify that you are running "untampered" software.

Remote attestation is evil.

New comment by Magnusmaster in "F-Droid and Google’s developer registration decree"

Magnusmaster — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 16:44:05 +0000

If you live in the EU please complain about Google's developer registration (and other anti-competitive stuff such as Google Play Integrity) here. The EU is asking for people's feedback regarding the Digital Fairness Act. https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-sa...

New comment by Magnusmaster in "Google: 'Your $1000 phone needs our permission to install apps now' [video]"

Magnusmaster — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 19:43:40 +0000

There is such a smartphone. But then you can't use your bank's app because it uses hardware attestation to ban alternative operating systems, and most banks require the app for 2FA or don't have a functional web portal at all. It's going to be even worse once governments roll out age verification apps that use hardware attestation.