Google has banned Ethereum (ETH) wallet and decentralized app (DApp) browser, MetaMask’s Android client from its Play app store.
Once again Google demonstrates on Youtube pure arbitrariness through malicious censorship and thereby shows how important it is to promote and support decentralized competitors and alternatives on the market! https://t.co/cXbuFDyxRt — SwissSmart (@swisssmart69) December 27, 2019
On December 26, it has been reported by the MetaMask team, who announced on Twitter that Google had suspended MetaMask’s Android client from Google Play’s app store by claiming that MetaMask was in violation of Google’s financial services policies.
In the last week, the MetaMask Android client was suspended by the Google Play App Store @googleplaydev. They cited their policy that bans mining on mobile, which we don't. Appeal rejected. #ProtectWeb3.https://t.co/rfP4EbOAqv!?zippy_activeEl=cryptocurrencies%23cryptocurrencies — MetaMask (@metamask_io) December 26, 2019
However, Google reportedly cited its policy by prohibiting cryptocurrency mining on mobile devices. The MetaMask team attempted to appeal Google’s decision to ban MetaMask from its app store to no avail, as Google promptly rejected the appeal.
Dan Findlay, the Co-Lead Developer of MetaMask, told:
“I very much hope that this was an honest mistake on the part of Google’s reviewers, but in combination with all the crypto YouTube bans, it definitely puts me at disease about how Google is engaging with decentralizing technologies. If people accept this behavior from a mobile monopoly like Google, we may not deserve something better.”
<img src="https://www.cryptonewspoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/metamaskk.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7763 lazyload" width="457" height="295" />
A useful tool like @metamask_io is being censored on Google Play. Is this yet another “mistake” by @Google after YouTube targeted Crypto content creators? What exactly is Google’s policy towards decentralisation? https://t.co/1X696C1KIO — Nischal (WazirX) ⚡️ (@NischalShetty) December 27, 2019
Likewise, over the past several days, YouTube, Google-owned video giant, had removed videos from the accounts of several cryptocurrency-related content creators.
However, YouTube representatives have claimed that the removals were done in error and some content has started to be restored.
Thus, the unilateral nature by which YouTube videos were removed and then reinstated has led many content creators to begin exploring migration to the decentralized video hosting alternatives.
Source: play.google.com | cointelegraph.com