Google has announced that, starting in 2026/2027, all apps on "certified" Android devices will require the developer to submit personal identity details directly to Google.

The requirement is that developers submit their own personal identity details to Google, not users' personal identity details. It's explained on the linked site:

In August 2025, Google announced that starting next year, it will no longer be possible to develop apps for the Android platform without first registering centrally with Google. This registration will involve:

Paying a fee to Google
Agreeing to Google’s Terms and Conditions
Providing government identification
Uploading evidence of the developer’s private signing key
Listing all current and future application identifiers

F-Droid blog post on the topic: https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html

It was posted before Google backpedalled somewhat, if I remember correctly.

That's a) old news and b) not user data

Developer data, not user data, I believe. Unless this is a new thing. Hard to tell if you submit a screenshot instead of an article URL.

Kinda old news but glad the word is still getting around.

Google has sort of pulled back on this, although they still haven't explained exactly how.