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this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2025
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Privacy
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I agree with most concerns here but as a professional prototypist... people do not seem to understand here and on related issues what "reference implementation" means.
This is NOT supposed to be used! By anybody! This is basically a technical demonstration that shows how it can be done at all.
Think of this as a test suite rather than software proper.
Again, this does not mean it's OK to even suggest that Google and Apple are in any way acceptable bottleneck. I do believe those are terrible choices. I do also believe relying on them just to do a proof of concept or technical demonstration is quite "lazy" but I also bet that this was necessary due to the scope of the project, e.g. "deliver us an app that works in 6 months on an average mobile phone". I really don't think they had discussion on accessibility, inclusion, etc.
So... yes, do keep track and be concerned but also don't conflate a proof of concept with a maintained app that will be required to be used on all EU citizen mobile phones next year.
There's a big difference between a reference implementation and a proof of concept. A proof of concept just shows it's possible at all, but a reference implementation is meant as a reference for "you should do it this way". Expect most companies to just directly copy the reference because they'll feel it's a waste of time developing their own system that's in compliance.
This is definitely going to be copy&pasted as a foundation in many EU states. Therefore, that it requires Android and iOS at all, let alone Google Play, is a fundamental error. Some people avoid smartphones for good reasons, yet still access parts of the internet that may apparently soon be gatekept by this new age verification mechanism. Also see here.