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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

#311
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You, like Parler, have been targeted by the powers that be. You may have nothing else in common other than that but, you're in the same boat it seems.

People will surely point out the obvious differences between the takedown of Parler and Element and I'd agree that it's not exactly the same thing, since Parler is its own platform and Element is just a client. However, when looking on a bigger picture of the recent takedowns and trying to make sense of it, it does indeed seem to be connected. The only conclusion that seems rational to me is as follows: Everyone trie…

> If this is actually what is happening,

That’s a big “if” though. The “abusive content” angle is just a working theory. It could just as easily be Goodge taking a dislike to a website link offering donations outside of the Play store (or something equally mundane).

The problem is, until Google respond, we have no idea why the takedown happened.

And here lies the real problem: without Google being transparent about their takedowns it leaves app developers in a difficult position where they can’t really support their uses.

The one slight good thing from all this is that at least with Android you can side load apps (which is more than can be said for iOS).

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

#314

A lot of people seem to believe that there’s much more to this than there really is. Google has hired a bunch of 28 year old kids in HR and PR, that never used Usenet, that never used IRC, that barely remember AIM, that had a smartphone before they had their own laptop, that don’t understand the internet or technology . And they’re the ones making these decisions. There aren’t rooms full of Google PMs and programmers…

Not unlike the CCP.

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

#316

I hope more apps start allowing to directly download an .apk file from their website. I don't have Google Play Services or the Play store installed on my phone nor do I want to install them. Yes, it's my responsibility to update the app, whatever, just give me the file.

Is there a standard that could verify an apk against a certificate? ... or an I just describing building an alternative play store?

You can use fdroid which builds everything and signs it with their own keys.

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

#317
This is basically the last straw for me. The past week has made it perfectly clear that Big Tech will close the circle and protect their own. Anything that appears to be censorship resistant, that allows the little guy to get ahead and compete, or that allows individuals to have greater levels of privacy and freedom, will be shut down and de-platformed.

As was predicted in 1948, "hate speech" has just become a smoke and mirrors term. Facebook and Discord used this excuse to deplatform WSB. Twitter uses this to deplatform people left, right, and center. And now Google is using it deplatform one of the few decentralised projects I had a lot of faith in.

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

#318
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Good point. https://hydrogen.element.io works very well as a PWA, but doesn’t have push support yet.

HSTS preloading blacklists may at some future point, block PWA as well.

The real problem is indeed how much power society has given these corps. It's time to take back some power or we will never be able to.

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

#319
post #3

So we got notified by the developer console at 21:45 UTC that the app had been suspended, but still haven’t had an email to explain why - it’s 02:24 now. Our assumption that this is due to someone reporting abusive content in Matrix to Google, and Element catching the blame — although this is currently speculation. To be clear: Element is a Matrix client just as Chrome is a Web browser, and just as it’s possible to v…

My comment elsewhere got buried but it might be useful to you.

Pattle also appears to have been removed. Ditto and FluffyChat at the moment appear to still be up on the store though. For those unaware, these are all Matrix clients.

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

#320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And then you occasionally see more subtle stuff like this: " Since Android 8.0 Oreo, Google doesn't allow apps to run in the background anymore, requiring all apps which were previously keeping background connection to exclusively use its Firebase push messaging service." https://github.com/Telegram-FOSS-Team/Telegram-FOSS/blob/mas...

how is this handled for SIP softphones that can run persistently in the background, in a direct SIP or SIP-over-TLS connection to a server? for instance: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.linphone&h... that's just a random example I thought of since I use it, but I can also think of a lot of other Android apps that I'm fairly sure aren't using any client-server communications mediated through google f…

Android has it's own SIP stack. It's even exposed in the standard Android phone dialler from Google. In the settings for that app look under "calling accounts".

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/sip

I haven't looked, but I'm sure just like Firebase, services get a special exemption to receive SIP notifications.

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