National emergency app now available in Belgium (exclusively to Google & Apple patrons who run closed-source software) ( web.archive.org )

Belgium has adopted an “official” app so that anyone can signal for help, so long as they belong to this exclusive group:

  • Must be a trusting patron of or . Consequently,
    • must needlessly buy a GSM subscription and surrender to surveillance advertisers who require¹ your mobile phone number (which in Belgium must be registered to an ID) — even though the app can make emergency contact without phone service… thus imposing a needless cost on users and also causing a minimisation breach.
  • Must install and execute proprietary closed-source software. Consequently,
    • must trust closed-source software (by or ?)
    • must be ethically aligned/okay with running (which does not respect your freedom)
    • must maintain recent hardware, buying a new phone every few years to keep up with the version requirement imposed by the closed-source app, thus:
      • incurs needless hardware cost
      • produces needless e-waste
  • Must be willing to leave Tor to access the access-restricted 112.be website.

① see attached image of Google demanding SMS verification for a new account. (untested: whether a mobile number is demanded when registering outside of Tor; please reply if you know the answer to that; )

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

Can't you call 112 the usual way to call for help?

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod , (edited )

Yes AFAIK, so long as you can remember all these numbers while your blood is spraying the walls (or whatever):

  • 112 for emergency assistance from an ambulance or the firefighters (gratis in all European countries for urgent help)
  • 101 for emergency assistance from the police
  • 1722 in case of a storm or flooding when you need assistance from the fire brigade
  • 1733 for the doctor on duty (non-urgent)

The app relieves people of having to remember those numbers. I’ve heard 911 is so commonly known from hollywood films that it has been made to work outside the US in some regions, but I’m not sure about Belgium. Looks like those numbers have to be remembered because of their differences (911 covers police+fire+medics).

The app works both over internet and over GSM. If you cannot speak for some reason¹, the app transmits a variety of useful info about you. There may also be situations in rural areas that don’t have GSM coverage but where wifi is reachable (not sure). Note as well foreigners visiting Belgium could have a CDMA-based smartphone in which case wifi would work but not GSM.

What I don’t know: 112 is obviously toll free, but does it work when you have no GSM subscription? In some parts of the world you can dial for help without a functional subscription but I’m not sure if that is universal.

  1. reasons you cannot speak could be physical (choking), or if you are being attacked or hiding from an attacker maybe you need to silently signal.
Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

Remembering 112 seems reasonable

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

And 101 if it’s the police that you need.

I’ve strugged with it because I’ve thought for years it was 4 digits (and I could not keep straight whether its 1212, or 2112), and apparently both are wrong. I’ll probably still fuck it up when i need it, and dial 211.

It’s really not the sort of app where exclusivity is acceptible.

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

Maybe try to think about it every week, or write it on a small piece of paper in your wallet?

About your questions about calling without having a subscription, you indeed can:

https://112.be/en/frequently-asked-questions

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

This is not a /me/ problem. I can solve the problem for myself by using a sharpie to write it on my phone.

Considering there is this rediculously big industry of selling cosmetic skins for smartphones (whole shops to just change phone cosmetics), not many people would likely mark up their phone with sharpies.

(edit) I appreciate the reference to the FaQ but it’s broken for me (Tor users). I can reach the faq via archive.org, but it’s dysfunctional (unfolding is broken).

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

not many people would likely mark up their phone with sharpies.

Most of the people in Europe probably remember 112

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

The primary benefit to the app is expressed as not having to remember the number. It’s the main selling point that justifies the app’s existence.

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

Then what is your issue if you just plan to write that on your phone?

As a side note, just had a look, it's quite common for those apps to be on Android and iOS stores only:

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod , (edited )

The app is “official”, which means there is public support and it was developed with public money. IOW, I contributed to the creation of this app, which needlessly excludes myself and others with ethical objections to nonfree software and those boycotting Google and Apple, including those who want their GDPR right to data minimisation, which implies not needing to share a mobile phone number with Google.

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

There are a lot of things your money is used for that you cannot use. Do you attend every university class given in Belgium, paid by taxpayer money?

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

I would attend classes if tuition were gratis. Either way, I have the /option/ to attend. I am not excluded, unless the university requires students to have Facebook accounts, in which case I would protest on the basis that a right to an education and a right to privacy should be simultaneous rights.

This app would be useful if it did not have the artificially manufactured arbitrary requirement to patronize Google and share information with Google that does not necessarily exist (a mobile phone number).

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

Have you tried Aurora store to get the app without a Google account?

https://f-droid.org/packages/com.aurora.store/

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

No I haven’t. And I wouldn’t since it’s still a closed source app.

I’ve heard rumors that Aurora store does not require a Google acount, but I’m not easily convinced because other 3rd party playstore apps still need a Google account because the API demands it. The Aurora store description shows this:

Account login: You can login with either personal or an anonymous account

I’m not sure what is meant by an anonymous account. Is that a shared account that Google tolerates?

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

And I wouldn’t since it’s still a closed source app.

I thought the issue was not being able to get the app, now it's the fact that it's not open source?

I really don't see why you are having so much Issues with a simple app

  • you can just remember the number
  • if you really want to make use of the app, get it through Aurora
  • if you don't want to use Aurora, create a burner Google account with an empty email address you only use for that purpose (I never had to give my phone number to Google, I have 5 accounts)

The last option might be the best for you.

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

I thought the issue was not being able to get the app, now it's the fact that it's not open source?

I mentioned that issue in the title as well as the 3rd bullet: “Must install and execute proprietary closed-source software”.

Italy is perhaps the only country in the world forward-thinking enough to have a “public money → public code” policy. If public money finances the creation of software, the public should also benefit from access to the source code. It’s an injustice to spend public money on software then withhold the source from the public.

I really don't see why you are having so much Issues with a simple app

I said this is not a /me/ problem. It’s a community-wide social problem. It’s an unjust deployment of a public resource. Solving the problem for just one person (for myself) does just that -- it solves the problem for one person. And you can’t solve the problem for me because even if I could obtain the app without Google patronage and in a GDPR respecting way, it’s still closed-source software in the end.

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

It’s an unjust deployment of a public resource.

Many people living in Brussels don't have a car. Is it fair that taxpayer money is used for highways, while people without a car cannot use them?

it’s still closed-source software in the end.

You can complain about this how much you want, you also need to be realistic. Governments in Belgium are known to be highly inefficient, to you really expect them to create free software? As you said, Italy might be the only country doing that (by the way, do you have any source on this? I'm curious)

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod , (edited )

Many people living in Brussels don't have a car. Is it fair that taxpayer money is used for highways, while people without a car cannot use them?

I’m one of those car-less people, and I much appreciate having the infrastructure of roads to cycle on. Some highways even have a cycling lane. Everyone who eats uses that infra.

You can complain about this how much you want, you also need to be realistic. Governments in Belgium are known to be highly inefficient, to you really expect them to create free software?

Belgium was sensible enough to write an open data law, whereby the gov is required to make data their data publicly accessible (e.g. train schedules rely on this and irail.be demonstrates). Software is even easier because there are software forges that make it more trivial than sharing a database. Inefficiency would benefit from FOSS devs. They could even just focus on the API and perhaps audit the app’s public development.

(by the way, do you have any source on this? I'm curious)

There was a FOSDEM talk about it, I think around 2018ish. Italy would likely be in the title in the archives.

(edit) found it:

https://archive.fosdem.org/2018/schedule/event/public_money_public_code/

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

I’m one of those car-less people, and I much appreciate having the infrastructure of roads to cycle on. Some highways even have a cycling lane. Everyone who eats uses that infra.

If you think that bicycle roads require the same maintenance ad highways for 35 tons trucks, then good for you.

Belgium

Who is going to pressure any Belgian government to release free software? Is that a constitutional right?

To answer to your other comment

the non-gratis factor makes it unsuitable as a reason for rationalizing a Tor block

Didn't you read what I said in that comment? Mullvad browser is free, for everyone, no need to use Mullvad VPN.

A proper analogy would be if there are public-funded fireworks, but you’re arbitrarily blocked from the viewing area for not having a Facebook account.

  • I can't afford a car, I can't use the roads, still I pay for it with my taxes
  • I can't afford a bike/I'm disabled and can't use a bike, still I pay for those with my taxes
  • I can't have children, still I pay for public education
  • I can't afford a smartphone, even based on free software, I can't use this app still I pay for it with my taxes

They do not give up their human rights to have equal access to public healthcare resources

Remembering a 3 digit number is now a public healthcare resources

If someone chooses to live in country, they accept the consequences of travel.

Why? Why should someone accept the consequence of travel more than using a burner email for a Google account?

I don’t see what you mean. If you can’t transfer money to certain regions, that’s a broken infrastructure which would have a rippling effect on everyone because it would mean merchants could not import goods from that region, which affects local pricing for everyone.

https://www.rtbf.be/article/la-flandre-transfere-chaque-annee-7-milliards-a-la-wallonie-8969884

As a Flemish tax payer, that's money that doesn't benefit me.

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod , (edited )

If you think that bicycle roads require the same maintenance ad highways for 35 tons trucks, then good for you.

Those 35 ton trucks are needed to bring me a bicycle. The food I buy from the grocer does not get there without roads.

Who is going to pressure any Belgian government to release free software? Is that a constitutional right?

Whether the right exists or not is an interesting question. The GDPR enshrines a number of transparency rights on how our personal data is processed. It makes no direct overt mention of open source code but I have yet to investigate whether code disclosure can be derived from GDPR transparency clauses. Certainly if there is no right, this thread is the bug report illustrating why transparency rights are needed. It’d be a bit premature to expect the right to be in a national constitution, but in 2024 it’s surprising how little headway has been made outside of Italy.

Didn't you read what I said in that comment? Mullvad browser is free, for everyone, no need to use Mullvad VPN.

It is interesting that Mullvad’s browser is gratis and functions without the tunnel. For that reason, I will be looking into it and I appreciate your tip. But I must say you’ve lost track of why you brought that up: the gov website blocks the IPs of Tor exit nodes. Using a different browser makes no difference in that regard because the blockade impacts before the webserver even knows what browser is in play. This is why you suggested a VPN.

A VPN would solve the problem well enough, and the Mullvad browser would help to increase the level of anonymity (though not to the extent of Tor), but I did not intend to ask for support with this thread. This thread calls out injustices in how an app is deployed. I personally can circumvent various problems (apart from the closed-source problem), but the real fix needs to be with the app deployment so everyone can benefit.

  • I can't afford a car, I can't use the roads, still I pay for it with my taxes
  • I can't afford a bike/I'm disabled and can't use a bike, still I pay for those with my taxes

You still need to eat. You still need public services. Even if you live off grid, you still benefit from police, fire, ambulance in particular. Those all depend on the road infrastructure.

I can't have children, still I pay for public education

You had a legally entitled opportunity to attend school. Even if you chose not to take it, you still benefit from others using that opportunity, such as the doc who operates on you.

I can't afford a smartphone, even based on free software, I can't use this app still I pay for it with my taxes

You could make the same argument for having a phone at all. The same logic leads you to tear down the 112 number. OTOH, if you have no phone and you need urgent help, you will shout for it and someone will contact emergency services for you using whatever tool they have. More tools enable more people to respond quickly. A tap on a button in the app will send location info faster than a voice conversation. So I don’t have a problem with the existence of the app. I only have a problem with the exclusive way it was deployed to select groups using artificial and unnecessary requirements.

They do not give up their human rights to have equal access to public healthcare resources
Remembering a 3 digit number is now a public healthcare resources

I just added emphasis where needed. Equal access means a mechanism to request healthcare should not be restricted to Google and Apple patrons as Belgium signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees access to public healthcare in one article and equal access to public services in another article.

Why? Why should someone accept the consequence of travel more than using a burner email for a Google account?

Because the consequence of travel is inherent in the choice to live far away. Google patronage is not inherent in the choice to have a phone.

As a Flemish tax payer, that's money that doesn't benefit me.

It’s a progressive tax system where the taxation is proportionate to the wealth. It’s really a big can of worms to get into whether the relatively wealthier per capita benefit from such system. That’s not really a good conversation for this thread but I will say that developed countries use a progressive tax regime and advocating for the contrary is to advocate for the sort of state you have with underdeveloped countries, which benefits the fewest numbers of people.

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

(edit) I appreciate the reference to the FaQ but it’s broken for me (Tor users). I can reach the faq via archive.org, but it’s dysfunctional (unfolding is broken

Why not use a VPN instead of Tor? Seems to prevent you from accessing a lot of useful websites

Mullvad allows to purchase VPN time using cash

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

That’s a useful tip about Mullvad taking cash. I have a gratis VPN which offers some degree of pseudo-anonymity, but generally VPNs do not give anonymity because there is just one relay and that relay sees both sides, and worse: VPNs have a limited number of users and browser fingerprints trivially distinguish users among the small pool of those using a particular VPN.

A VPN would be secure enough for the case at hand, but in my case the VPN blocks Tor, which means Tor and the VPN are mutually exclusive. Thus I have the hassle of disrupting Tor sessions to switch the VPN on. And again, it’s not a /me/ problem. This public service is discriminating against the Tor community in an obnoxious way (packet dropping). The problem is not whether or not one marginalised person can circumvent the blocks. The problem is that a public service is not serving the whole public.

Camus ,
@Camus@jlai.lu avatar

VPNs have a limited number of users and browser fingerprints trivially distinguish users among the small pool of those using a particular VPN.

Mullvad partly addresses this issue by having their own browser with a default fingerprint. Users wanting to have anonymity can use that and benefit from other users (which don't even have to use Mullvad VPN to use the browser)

The problem is that a public service is not serving the whole public.

See my comment about the highways. Or fireworks in cities that people in the countryside cannot see. Or even worse, money transfer from one region to another. Public money usually does not serve the whole public.

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod , (edited )

Mullvad partly addresses this issue by having their own browser with a default fingerprint.

That’s interesting and uncommon. The scarcity of that arrangement not to mention the non-gratis factor makes it unsuitable as a reason for rationalizing a Tor block. Good to know it’s an option for individuals looking for a circumvention.

Or fireworks in cities that people in the countryside cannot see.

Perhaps fireworks are not justified if they aren’t significant enough to bring outsiders in (who then spend money locally). A proper analogy would be if there are public-funded fireworks, but you’re arbitrarily blocked from the viewing area for not having a Facebook account. Or worse, you are denied police protection in Brussels for not having a Facebook acct.

Apart from that, everyone has equal access to the venue, just like the commune or hospital can only be at a finite number of places (economics and laws of physics apply). If someone chooses to live in country, they accept the consequences of travel.

If someone chooses not to become the pawn of a privacy-abusing surviellance advertiser, they inherently accept the consequences of their boycott cutting them off from the associated frills in the private sector, but they do not give up their rights to public service. They do not give up their human rights to have equal access to public healthcare resources.

Or even worse, money transfer from one region to another. Public money usually does not serve the whole public.

I don’t see what you mean. If you can’t transfer money to certain regions, that’s a broken infrastructure which would have a rippling effect on everyone because it would mean merchants could not import goods from that region, which affects local pricing for everyone.

petrescatraian ,
@petrescatraian@libranet.de avatar

@ciferecaNinjo Why is the police not using 112 as well?

@Camus

ciferecaNinjo OP Mod ,

I’m not sure but I wonder if it has to do with the fact that 112 must work EU-wide. Although it seems that’s a big pitfall.. when crossing borders you have to keep track of a separate police number.

Seems this app should just be scrapped and replaced with an open source one that works EU-wide.

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