Samsung has decided to proceed with the Bootloader blocking also in Europe, a move that has caused a lot of discussion. Behind this choice is a European regulation that will come into force in August 2025 and which risks changing smartphone usage in Europe forever. This is why other manufacturers may soon follow suit.
From 1 August 2025, new provisions will come into force RED Directive (Radio Equipment Directive), which redefines the compliance requirements for all radio devices sold in Europe. This is a significant change, not so much for the amount of regulations introduced, but for the effect they will have on the entire Android ecosystem. The issue revolves around three articles that impose specific protections: against network interference, personal data compromise, and digital fraud. These are, in themselves, sacrosanct rules.
But the crux comes with the interpretation prevailingEach device must ensure full compliance not only with the hardware, but also with the software that controls the radio modules. This is where the bootloader comes in. Unlocking it essentially allows you to replace the original operating system with an alternative one, such as LineageOS or GrapheneOS.
But these systems, if they modify the radio drivers even minimally, invalidate the CE certification. An uncertified device can no longer be legally marketed or used, at least according to the most stringent reading of the law.
This scenario has therefore led Samsung to protect its devices. Not on a whim, but to avoid any software modifications falling under your legal liability. If a user installs a ROM that interferes with radio frequencies or compromises communications security, the manufacturer (and in some cases the importer) may be held directly liable.
RED does not explicitly talk about unlocking the Bootloader or custom ROM, but it opens one regulatory space in which the margins for maneuver are they narrow. And in doing so, it provides a solid argument for those who have been trying for years to close the loop between hardware, software, and services. After all, customizing the operating system also means breaking away from proprietary services and, therefore, from the model that ties the user to the brand.
Samsung is just the first to move, but it’s hard to imagine it will be the only one. Starting in August 2025, it’s very likely that other manufacturers will follow suit, at least for the European market.
PC Computers are next
This is why the big deal with TPM
Why TPM is never a removable security device
Why you can’t save your old PC with a usb TPM device,
even though they are low power serial text devicesAnd TPM itself is just the thin side of the wedge.
It will grow more and more capable as an encrypted instructions processor
Eventually applications will run enough of their code
as encrypted instructions that they will become impossible to pirate.This means application on your offline computer will be just as revocable as cloud application
and they will no longer be transferable, cryptographically tied to the processor coreThey probably want that, but also at the same time, that would kill software development.
Only approved AIs and humans carrying a corporately issued developer license will be allowed to develop software.
Here is a taste of the future
You CAN’T Jailbreak Your PC
The days of “it’s my hardware, I’ll run what I want” are over.
TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and Microsoft Pluton are forming a closed execution environment.You can’t replace the bootloader. You can’t flash unsigned firmware. You can’t disable the vendor-approved certificate store.Try to run an unsigned OS, and it will simply refuse to boot.
Your motherboard no longer listens to you.
It listens to Microsoft and OEMs.
You Will Own Nothing, and Even That Nothing Is Tied to Your Old PC
TPM stores your encryption keys in a non-exportable way.
Your files, apps, and even your OS activation are now bound to your specific machine.Want to move them to another system?
Too bad. The TPM won’t let you.
Even if you own both devices.The machine is yours. The data, software, and identity within it are not.
Installing Linux Will Be Illegal (Functionally, If Not Yet Legally)
Secure Boot + Remote Attestation is the death knell for freedom-focused OSes.
Your distro doesn’t carry the "right" signature? Blocked. You modify the kernel for performance or privacy? No longer attested. You write your own OS? You don’t get to boot. It’s not banned in law. It’s banned by cryptographic gatekeeping.
Digital preservation will be technically impossible.
Encrypted execution + hardware-tied software =
No way to archive.
No way to emulate.
No way to restore.Games, apps, creative tools, all gone when the keys expire or the vendor shuts down.
We won’t just lose software. We’ll lose entire cultural eras.
It’s like that Apple ad crushing musical instruments but for your entire digital life
https://adage.com/video/crush-ipad-pro-apple/ (I couldn’t find it unedited on youtube sorry)
You Have No Mouth and Can’t Say NO
Vendor lock-in is no longer a commercial strategy.
It’s cryptographic reality.You can’t deny updates. You can’t run unsigned code. You can’t refuse attestation.Because your software won’t run without it.
The PC has become a compliance terminal. Saying "no" is no longer supported behavior.
A hardware-enforced, cryptographically sealed cage.
Your freedom to compute is being revoked—quietly, efficiently, irreversibly. The illusion of ownership is maintained only until enforcement becomes total. This isn’t theory. It’s shipping now.If we don’t fight back, there will be no root access left to reclaim.
But if it doesn’t run Linux I am not going to buy it
Microsoft is fine if you don’t buy computers anymore
It won’t miss you in particularThis is what’s going to happen with PCs
https://lemmy.ml/post/33992840/20208076And the Linux foundation will just sit by letting it happen? Or Valve for that matter, they appear to have anticipated this risk over a decade ago.
RISC-V’s time to shine! (IIRC it is open source instruction set).
And time to hold on to old devices. They’ll become like old cars: the only ones the owner can fully control.
Storage and processors don’t last forever. As parts break down, you won’t be able to replace them. Need a new hard drive? Sorry, it’ll only talk to motherboards that shake its hand.
I hate the fact that the more technologically literate you are, the more you run away from it.
A smartphone with latest android, Gemini, google pay, a smartwatch, ChatGPT and a smart home?
Nope, I would rather have a Linux phone that is mostly incompatible with what is expected of modern smartphones, no AI please! Google pay? Only cash or monero! My watch is very smart, it can telle the time for a few years without a recharge, and nothing else!
Is this also the end of Software-Defined Radio in Europe?
and by extension possibly secure router firmware like OpenWRT too?
The whole smart phone thing is such a lesson in letting go of the rope.
Once you let corporations get away with a little, they will eventually take everything.
Every time we lost a bit of control me and a few of enthusiasts were screaming, but the regular populace just shrugged…
Even on reddit you’d have to argue with idiots “oh just use Bluetooth headphones! Oh who needs sd cards, just use the cloud! Oh who needs rooting, it’s not needed”
I swear to god if Windows / OS were invented today 80 of people would just shrug as all control of their PC was taken away.
Wait - is this about all radio devices or only mobile connectivity ones?
I.e., is WiFi affected as well? Or does it only affect internet that you access through your carrier?
The article says:
From 1 August 2025, new provisions will come into force RED Directive (Radio Equipment Directive), which redefines the compliance requirements for all radio devices sold in Europe.
Which technically would also affect WiFi.
Lately I’m more and more disappointed in EU legislations. Especially having to live with them…
If a user installs a ROM that interferes with radio frequencies or compromises communications security, the manufacturer (and in some cases the importer) may be held directly liable.
WTF just happened in Europe in the last few months. We used to be some sort of (dimmly lit) beacon of user freedom and privacy considerations. Now, I know there’s been a push for new legislations that basically fuck individual privacy over, but last I checked it was just a proposal. And now we’re doing a fucking 1260° turn toward full stanglehold on everything.
There’s also this article from yesterday: Austria legalises state spyware amidst strong opposition
i wonder what changed. these regulations are certainly a threat. they justified it with the “threat of (islamistic) terrorism”, though i don’t know what’s really going on there.
I mean, Mexico has never been a beacon of privacy or regulations (just for super specific technologies that were implemented first, mostly banking ones), but the government has also been pushing weird changes to how they handle surveillance and personal identifications, giving more power to the authorities while they’re exempt for most of the transparency laws (everything they do, even public infrastructure is managed as some kind of ‘state secret’).
I am scared.
This is really badly written, and that particularly annoys me because the subject matter is actually important.
what an utter bullshit! will the manufacturer be also directly held liable if someone uses a phone of their brand to make a picture about me without authorization! of fucking course not!
fuck samsung, and all the manufacturers that follow suit, because this is just not needed.
but also fuck the red directive’s decision makers for their unsatiable creep of wanting ever more power over our devices! this is exactly like saying, that there is this illegal thing, and if you are not doing it, but just have the slightest ability to do it, that is also illegal. what the actual fuck! get off my fucking phone you scumbags!!
Wait, what does that mean for USB LTE devices? Devices that you can attack to a desktop computer to give you mobile internet. Last time i checked, they’re widely available.
Would these become illegal as well?
If a user installs a ROM that interferes with radio frequencies
Do any “ROMs” or linuxes do this? Seems like you could get an “illegal USB bluetooth/wifi dongle” for shenanigans purposes instead. This all seems like such a pointless distraction that can only be to ensure that manufacturer backdoors are ensured as unescapable.
I have never installed a ROM that touched the radio.
In fact most ROMs I’ve used warned against touching the radio because of the risk of damaging the device.
sorry for Gemini link to prompt below, but google itself doesn’t provide any top page links to answering the question, or questions about “software wifi to radio conversion”. GrapheneOS does not provide the functionality. Seems like only process to transmit/receive at a different band is to use hardware that bridges from wifi signal to radio signal.
modify phone wifi frequency to arbitrary frequency
It is generally not possible to directly modify the WiFi frequency on a smartphone to an arbitrary frequency. Smartphones are designed to operate within the standard WiFi frequency bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and their corresponding channels. While you can influence which band your phone connects to (e.g., prioritizing 5 GHz for faster speeds), you can’t arbitrarily set the frequency. Why you can’t set an arbitrary frequency: Hardware limitations: Smartphones are built with hardware that supports specific frequency ranges (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in most cases). Protocol compliance: WiFi communication relies on specific protocols (like 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) that are tied to these standard frequency bands. Router configuration: While you can configure your router to broadcast different SSIDs for each band (e.g., “MyWiFi_2.4GHz” and “MyWiFi_5GHz”), the phone’s connection is still limited to the supported frequencies. What you CAN do: Prioritize a band: You can influence which band your phone connects to by adjusting settings on the phone (if available) or by configuring your router to have separate SSIDs for each band. Choose the right band: For faster speeds, prioritize the 5 GHz band when it’s available. For better range and wall penetration, the 2.4 GHz band is better. Optimize router settings: Ensure your router is set up to broadcast on the desired bands and consider channel selection for optimal performance. In short, while you can influence the band your phone connects to, you cannot arbitrarily set the WiFi frequency on your smartphone.
After RTFAing, this seems to be Samsung just using an excuse to lock down their phone, rather than any specific order from EU telling them to.
