Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads” • Hacker News Board

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#181

Post by NullPrefix » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:29 AM UTC

amelius wrote: post #178

quickthrower2 wrote: post #119

From the blog comments: > Good luck man. I had an app removed because someone did a review of it and their review had screenshots of my app and Google banned the app for copyright infringement siting them as the source. No appeal, one strike, never got through to a human. If true that’s laughablly insane.

Since so little thought seems to have been put in the approval process, can't you just re-submit the same app under a different name or using a different account?

That road leads to permaban from all of Google.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#182

Post by majewsky » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:32 AM UTC

maxxxxx wrote: post #172

quickthrower2 wrote: post #119

From the blog comments: > Good luck man. I had an app removed because someone did a review of it and their review had screenshots of my app and Google banned the app for copyright infringement siting them as the source. No appeal, one strike, never got through to a human. If true that’s laughablly insane.

Seems this will be our future. A lot of systems will be massive, automated and do mostly the right thing. But to cut cost there will be no way to fix errors so if you get caught up in such a situation you are just sorry, out of luck.

Why so nihilistic? Systems are like that because people designed them this way. If it takes regulations to fix that problem, I'm all for it.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#183

Post by cf141q5325 » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:32 AM UTC

em500 wrote: post #179

cf141q5325 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, complain about your family, not the desktop model. Its like babyproofing, the equivalent of no one beeing allowed to buy a steakknife because some people are not grown up enough to handle one carefully. edit: Its ofcourse a difficult subject, like with your parents getting too old to drive and not recognizing it, but after all not a technical but a societal problem.

From talks with colleagues I concluded that these issues were widespread enough to conclude that problem was not my family but the desktop distribution model.

Its definitely widespread, I didnt want to imply it was just your family. There is a large group that cant handle admin rights responsibly. I just dont think general restrictions are in order here. We should much rather educate this group instead of giving up ownership over our devices. Especially since we dont have the appstore model out of security considerations, but because monopolists want to keep people in walled gardens. Ownership of your device is to great of a good to give it up in the name of security.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#184

Post by pbhjpbhj » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:34 AM UTC

maxencecornet wrote: post #174

The exact same thing happened to me last week My ads-free really simple React Native app was removed from the play store for “deceptive ads” I don't care too much as this was just a way to learn React Native for me, but it's still really weird To be honest every interaction I have with Google products nowadays are bad: - This app kicked from the Play store - A bug with the new Adsense Auto-ads where you couldn't disa…

Can apps be decompiled easily?

I'd imagine one could download the app, report it for whatever (eg ads), wait for the automated system to remove it, then upload your own version (with ads, and what ever else).

Or if not decompiled, perhaps you got spearphished for access to your apps code, or it was acquired some other way.

Similar things probably happen as far as malicious reporting for sales platforms (like Amazon). If you 'steal' the product I imagine Amazon would even handover the original sellers good product reviews too.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#185

Post by neuronic » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:34 AM UTC

thatoneuser wrote: post #157

quickthrower2 wrote: post #119

From the blog comments: > Good luck man. I had an app removed because someone did a review of it and their review had screenshots of my app and Google banned the app for copyright infringement siting them as the source. No appeal, one strike, never got through to a human. If true that’s laughablly insane.

Had similar experience. Several years ago app with 6+ digit installs in the first six months. Got some generic excuse and our app was down. We could contest but then they threatened to take even more away. I don't like these platforms...

This is precisely why EU antitrust strikes against Google are well deserved. I hope they are hit with much more.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#186

Post by czechdeveloper » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:35 AM UTC

antocv wrote: post #134

quickthrower2 wrote: post #119

From the blog comments: > Good luck man. I had an app removed because someone did a review of it and their review had screenshots of my app and Google banned the app for copyright infringement siting them as the source. No appeal, one strike, never got through to a human. If true that’s laughablly insane.

You, still using google for anything, is insane. OK, harsh word, but really, your behaviour is modified by the search results/ads/suggestions you see. Every search you do, leans you to continue using Google in the future, and looking at the web through their eyes.

It's feudalism, because you don't have a choice.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#187

Post by icebraining » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:41 AM UTC

huffmsa wrote: post #177

xyN10 wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I no longer find interesting things in the top results like 10 years ago. Some search terms only return about 100 results when there should be many more. Academic websites seem to have nearly vanished from the results. Perhaps the results get better if you pay Google by allowing them cookies, but I think that wasn't necessary 10 years ago either. So the difference is that in a non-biased library you find many more an…

Or when the first result says > "missing {keyword}, require {keyword}?" Great job big G, I'm definitely the one who made the mistake with my query and didn't want to include that word.

You haven't, but many people do; they include extraneous words, or write overly precise queries (like including specific their specific laptop model number, which only sells in our small country, rather than a general model name), then get frustrated they can't find anything.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#188

Post by tjpnz » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:42 AM UTC

sercand wrote: post #20

When you receive that email from Google you can only fill a generic form given at the bottom of the email. You can't contact a human being to understand why it is rejected/removed. Problem is not written clearly and it doesn't include a screenshot as apple does. Google is terrible at support on Play Store (and some more of its services).

At the very least they're being honest about not giving a shit about their users.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#189

Post by icebraining » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:43 AM UTC

xyN10 wrote: post #159

icebraining wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that any different than literally any other way of discovering information?

I no longer find interesting things in the top results like 10 years ago. Some search terms only return about 100 results when there should be many more. Academic websites seem to have nearly vanished from the results. Perhaps the results get better if you pay Google by allowing them cookies, but I think that wasn't necessary 10 years ago either. So the difference is that in a non-biased library you find many more an…

My point is that there's no such thing as a non-biased library. You always see things under some influence of the process you used to find them. It's fine to prefer other sources than Google, but it's not "insane" to use Google because it will do something that is inescapable anyway.

Re: Google removed my ads-free app for “deceptive ads”

#190

Post by profalseidol » Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 10:44 AM UTC

noitsnot wrote: post #166

quickthrower2 wrote: post #119

From the blog comments: > Good luck man. I had an app removed because someone did a review of it and their review had screenshots of my app and Google banned the app for copyright infringement siting them as the source. No appeal, one strike, never got through to a human. If true that’s laughablly insane.

Google banned me for deceptive ads. I converted the app. to Objective-C and made it into iTunes with no issues.

Goodluck!