this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2022
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It is not entirely correct, although Android is from Google, it bases its influence more on the pre-installed apps and those from the Playstore, for this reason the corresponding Google APIs can be gutted (do not forget that Android itself, as well as Chromium, is FOSS) and use apps from, for example, F-Droid. Vivaldi uses Chromium, but it's partially degoogled and leaving the rest of the APIs as user option in the configuration. FF also contains Google APIs, for example this one from Safe Browsing, even this in Vivaldi can be deactivated, in FF it can't. It's not actually that important if you use Chromium or Gecko, but rather how you use it. Many forks are limited to putting their own logo as it is and others that use Chromium (Blink), but not as it is delivered, but modified so as not to send information to Google, as Vivaldi devs does very well. If I disable all Google APIs in Vivaldi, it's not even recognized as Chromium by Google and I can't download extensions from the Chrome Store eg. It can even impersonate EDGE and use BingChat (if I'm dumb enough to want it), which no other browser can do. Saying Chromium is Google and Firefox isn't is absolutly wrong, In FF are novadays even working Google devs, making the browser, so its irrelevant if you use Chromium or Firefox if you use it as is, without degoogling them, both phone to Google if not, Even Webkit o <Safari do it, because Google paid for this. This is the problem, not the engine you use. https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/a-dangerous-conflict-of-interest-between-firefox-and-google/
The control of Google is in almost any engine, also in Gecko. In Gecko even with Google devs itself which are working in Mozilla to develope Firefox. In this point Vivaldi is much less controlled by Google than Firefox, even using Chromium (modified by own devs).
That standards arise is not the problem and most browsers use Blink because it is simply the best engine and the most compatible with any standards.
It is irrelevant, if it is Chromium or another, if it is FOSS and allows to modify it to the taste of each browser company, using it as it is or in a gutted way. Reducing the motors to one does not present any problems, it even allows web standards to be unified, just as it would be impractical if the power plugs in each house had a different format, but this is not the case, regardless of who the manufacturer is. The lack of variety is not the problem, on the contrary.
The influence of Google is not a major problem in this regard, easily removable from the engine. This is why Google now attacks from another side with its WEI project where Mozilla and Vivaldi are precisely shouting to heaven. A system of Google Tokens, which allows to reject the connection by minority browsers, limiting the access to Chrome and perhaps also EDGE "for security and DRM reasons".
This would certainly be the death of all other browsers and the end of the free Internet with the absolute domination of Google, if this is not prevented. No, the engine has not been the problem for a long time, it is Google itself and its desire for domination the cause to intent every dirty trick for this proposit if other don't work, like in the past with FloC, idle API and others, Chromium is from Google, but it's FOSS and Google can't reverse this.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2009730/vivaldi-mozilla-warn-of-googles-proposed-drm-for-the-web.html https://itwire.com/government-tech-news/technology-regulation/google-trying-to-corner-browser-market,-norwegian-firm-vivaldi-claims.html
LineageOS and Grpahene OS exist for some androids. Lineage can be made very private and Graphene is the best for privacy out of the box.