An alternative platform to the Wild West
We’re living in the Wild West era, where apps can do whatever they want, be it bombard us with ads, show us clickbait and misinformation, scam us, addict us, and so on.
How do we fix this?
When you buy a phone, tablet or computer, in settings, you can configure an approver. An approver is just an app you install that controls what apps and sites you can load. It’s similar to installing an ad-blocker or an MDM.
Different organisations can run approvers with different criteria: one might block advertising. Another could permit only sites run by non-profits like Wikipedia. An approver run by an educational organisation could permit only educational content. And so on.
There will be an open protocol for the OS to talk to the approver, and anyone can build an approver without needing permission from the OS vendor.
Why do we need this abstraction of an approver?
Because everyone can’t agree on what’s good and what’s bad. This is not a tech issue but a human issue. If you go around asking people what’s good and what they don’t want to see — Are cigarettes bad? Alcohol? Porn? Scams? Gambling? Advertising? —you’ll find that there isn’t one right answer that applies to everyone in society. In fact, even in families, everyone doesn’t see eye to eye. That’s why you need multiple approvers, and the owner of the device gets to decide.
How would an approver decide? That’s entirely up to them! Some could use objective criteria (does it have advertising?) and some could use subjective criteria. Some could use a whitelist approach, and others, a blacklist. Some could require app or website developers to submit their site for approval, like app stores. Some approvers might be extremely picky and do a far more extensive review than the app stores do. Some could approve for free, and others could charge a significant fee, even tens of thousands of dollars.
How are approvers different from app stores?
Approvers protect users from web apps in addition to just native apps.
While app stores are run by the OS owner, approvers can be run by anyone.
While app stores are forced upon users, users decide what approvers they want to use.
While app stores are one size fits all, approvers can have a variety of criteria.
What are some use cases for approvers?
Children could be given devices that block porn.
If the Indian military is concerned about Chinese apps on their computers, they could run an approver that blocks all Chinese apps and sites.
A religious organisation could run an approver that blocks gambling, smoking and alcohol, and adherents could install it.
An organisation that advocates against social media could go beyond talk and let people who agree with its philosophy block all social media.
A bank could run an approver for its employees that permits productivity sites and blocks entertainment sites.
It’s time to put control back in the hands of users, not OS vendors, and not app developers.