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Comment by cesarb | Hacker News Reader

> So even if mass-market smartphones become locked-down completely, we will still have alternatives. [...] (Fairphone and PinePhone come to mind, I'm sure there are more)

You're not looking far ahead enough. Use of these alternatives will be banned.

I already cannot use any of these alternatives: all cell phones must be certified to be imported into Brazil, and so far I could find none of these alternatives certified by ANATEL. My only options are Android, Apple, or non-smartphone "feature phones" (they still exist). Yes, Brazil is one of the first countries on the list for this change from Google, and Apple already does something similar.

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That sounds quite dystopian. I did consider this possibility, but thought that it was sufficiently far in the future. Sad that this future already arrived :(

But can you elaborate on how this is enforced? Probably by requiring IMEI registration? (supposedly with a carve-out for tourists, something like "a new IMEI can be used for two weeks without registration, after that it stops working")

If it's IMEI-based, then probably you can still have an alternative phone that will use WiFi hotspot from the "certified" one. Speaking from experience here - we had a problem in Indonesia where we were unable to register a phone due to bureaucratic shortcomings, and so we bought a cheap phone to serve as a hotspot. Inconvenient, true, but still workable.

Also, I don't know how IMEIs are implemented at hardware/software level. Maybe there are ways to spoof them somehow?

> But can you elaborate on how this is enforced?

The import is rejected by customs. Yes, this means there's the small loophole of traveling to another country (which is usually a long travel, this country is huge and the ocean is wide), buying the phone there, and bringing it back with you.

I don't know whether the carriers do reject phones with IMEI pointing to a non-homologated model used with a SIM registered to a Brazilian carrier (that is, not roaming).

> If it's IMEI-based, then probably you can still have an alternative phone that will use WiFi hotspot from the "certified" one.

That takes me back, it's exactly how I used my pre-smartphone PDA, tethering to my phone through Bluetooth. Yeah, that would work (it's exactly how I use my laptop when I can't use the normal Internet connection), were I able to import the thing in the first place.

> Yes, this means there's the small loophole of traveling to another country (which is usually a long travel, this country is huge and the ocean is wide)

I'm a frequent traveler, so I tend to overlook that not all people have that option, apologies for that.

But in many countries where there are some restrictions or crushing import taxes, I saw that there usually quickly appeared a flourishing network of people that utilize the travel loophole to bring in the necessary items - some even build sort-of-a-business out of that. Many just ask their travelling friends to bring them phones they desire (I've been such a friend on multiple occasions).

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