Is it possible to allow sideloading and keep users safe?

There are three ways to deliver protection: build better walls, defeat attackers after successful initial attacks, defeat attackers before successful initial attacks.

The article ties itself into knots because it recognizes that the first way cannot deliver 100% security. But it refuses to recognize that there are two additional ways.

The United States military could go after scammers operating from foreign compounds. It could treat the economic targeting of American citizens as acts of economic war. It chooses not to. Freedom is not free, and when your country chooses to literally not fight for your freedom, it's hardly any wonder that your freedoms are eroded.

Remember XKCD 538: https://xkcd.com/538/ Cybersecurity and physical security are fundamentally linked.

> There are three ways to deliver protection

While I agree with your idea I'd like to remember that there are previous steps: teach people to be less vulnerable. Teach people to be less greedy. Teach people the consequences of actions.

Being less vulnerable is an obvious definition: know how to not fall for some scams.

Less greedy: some scams revolve around the idea of quick and ease profits and the comeback is hurtful because the person thinks he would get x and ends up losing 500x.

Consequences of actions: there's a lot of value to the group that observes the (bad) consequences of one actions. Pain, even from others, teaches something. The more we protect people from consequences, the better and safer it is about small losses until the actions go beyond the protection and the consequences are catastrophic.