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Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

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Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#11

Post by [deleted] »

DLA wrote: post #6
ssivark wrote: post #2

I have no idea whether this is correlated with the other recent de-platforming events, but the rapidly growing list of examples is now getting ridiculous. It’s crazy to imagine that the rug could get pulled out from beneath any of us, any time, under any pretext (or no pretext at all!). I don’t know whether a more apt metaphor alludes to serfs on feudal land, or The Trial by Kafka. If it turns out this is because of…

This is the upside down crazy we are faced with when a tiny number of giant companies make decisions on whims of ever changing policy. We need to fight back with things like PWAs to bypass the app stores, web socket chats, distributed social platforms, and plain old web pages to publicly document these attacks on free speech. Call/email Congress too. Get friends and neighbors to do the same. They are already alerted…

[deleted]

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#12

Post by Proven »

quyleanh wrote: post #8

Let people decides what is wrong and what is correct. Not big tech, not platform creator.

That's already in the US Constitution but these are private platforms, they ought to be able excessively moderate if they want to.

The problem is no one wants to pay for ad-free services that focus on delivering shit they're paid to deliver, rather than optimize their "free" services for the advertisers and the government.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#13

Post by 2pEXgD0fZ5cF »

Is this google starting to test the waters when it comes to arbitrarily kicking out software they personally don't like? (open source, decentralized, privacy oriented etc.) I might of course be exaggerating a bit here, keep that in mind.

- Element and Matrix are growing but still not equipped to fight back at large against this, so it is unlikely to create too much negative press

- If Google starts to catch too much critique for this decision they can put it back and always blame $error

I believe Element will be back soon, the problem I see here is that it will be framed as an "honest mistake" and then become forgotten until they pull another stunt like this.

Even if these removals are temporary, they can still hurt growth. Let's assume a bit more malice: Couldn't Google just monitor and analyze metrics of an undesirable app (downloads, usage, hype), pick a critical point in its growth then "accidentaly" remove it for a few days, causing damage that isn't immediately apparent, but nonetheless long lasting?

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#15

Post by dvt »

It's becoming more and more clear that there's a problem with these corporately-controlled "free markets" that are neither free nor are they markets. It's time for Congress to do more than just write strongly-worded letters to large tech conglomerates hoping that these kinds of anti-consumer practices stop. It's funny (or sad) that the meme du jour is "build your own app store, bro." We need: (1) transparency and (2) accountability.

First of all, we can't have stuff getting arbitrarily censored or kicked off stores, because even though it may start with alt-right QAnon nonsense, it will lead to things like Hey, Epic, Fortnite, Robinhood ratings being scrubbed, WSB being banned, or now Element. The slippery slope is not hypothetical. It's here.

Secondly, we can't just have AAPL, GOOG, FB, etc. merely say "oops, our bad" when the shit hits the fan. People get mad, they say "oops" -- even though the app may have lost thousands of customers and reputation -- and everyone forgets the snafu ever happened. This is not okay, and as consumers we should not be okay with it. I promise you Google will release a statement saying "certain groups" on Element "used some poopoo language" and the apologists will, yet again, be totally cool with it.

(I don't feel my comment is particularly controversial, yet I'm being mass downvoted with no counter-arguments.. weird.)

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#16

Post by newfeatureok »

How could this be - I was told our corporate overlords are able to do whatever they'd regarding kicking people off their platforms?

Whatever shall we do?

The funny thing about the whole "do bad things and get kicked off" strategy is that every platform has abusers. Since Big Tech can arbitrarily decide the thresholds and circumstances that lead to being kicked off, this effectively means they can kick anyone off for any reason.

Even on here, on Hacker News, if you dig deep enough I guarantee you can find questionable content (albeit probably downvoted) to justify deplatforming if you were tasked with deplatforming this site anyways.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#17

Post by crumbshot »

rangoon626 wrote: post #14

Bookmarking this one for when my friends chide me for “still” using iOS.

On Android, it's still much easier to install apps from outside Google's app store (just change the "install unknown apps" setting, download the .apk file, and open it) than it is on iOS.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#18

Post by TechnoTimeStop »

dvt wrote: post #15

It's becoming more and more clear that there's a problem with these corporately-controlled "free markets" that are neither free nor are they markets. It's time for Congress to do more than just write strongly-worded letters to large tech conglomerates hoping that these kinds of anti-consumer practices stop. It's funny (or sad) that the meme du jour is "build your own app store, bro." We need: (1) transparency and (2)…

The Digital Citizen has rights. And its time to draft them.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#19

Post by boomboomsubban »

TechnoTimeStop wrote: post #18
dvt wrote: post #15

It's becoming more and more clear that there's a problem with these corporately-controlled "free markets" that are neither free nor are they markets. It's time for Congress to do more than just write strongly-worded letters to large tech conglomerates hoping that these kinds of anti-consumer practices stop. It's funny (or sad) that the meme du jour is "build your own app store, bro." We need: (1) transparency and (2)…

The Digital Citizen has rights. And its time to draft them.

It's a shame nobody saw this coming fourty years ago and devoted his life to the cause.
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