Apple and Google are both deploying hardware-based attestation APIs — Apple via App Attest and Privacy Pass, Google via Play Integrity API and expanded Android Binary Transparency — to verify device legitimacy and app authenticity. This matters because attestation can reduce supply chain attacks and malware, but also concentrates trust in two companies' hardware systems and enables them to gatekeep app distribution. The post doesn't explain what hardware attestation actually does or why users should care about the distinction between hardware-based vs software-based verification.