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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

#501

Post by richardwhiuk »

vbsteven wrote: post #454
walrus01 wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

VoIP has always been treated a bit differently to regular apps on both platforms. I vaguely remember about 10 years ago both iOS and Android had special permissions specifically for VoIP apps to run in the background.

On iOS that's pretty much all been removed. The access gateway has to send an APNS notifications when there is an inbound call.

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

#502

Post by brettwilcox »

volta83 wrote: post #490
brettwilcox wrote: post #474

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I'm doing a custom react client integration. AA has to prepare for black swan events from every angle and this is a perfect example of one. When you have 100,000+ employees, it's not trivial to just switch up communication platforms.

Let each user pick among any of the multiple clients available. Don't design your system / process to only support one client.

It puts too much pressure on Helpdesk to provide the support needed when you don't have a common path.

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

#503

Post by ike77 »

Thorentis wrote: post #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…

> will close the circle

Precisely. Even if they are acting in good faith, their current set of rules would make them ban internet if it was to be created now.

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

#505

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel »

grishka wrote: post #458
oji0hub wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Installing software outside of play store is technically possible, but if something contains enough hurdles, most people won't do it, which results in no users and a meaningless platform.

There aren't that many hurdles. 1. You download the apk 2. When you try to install it, it tells you it's from an unknown source and the installation was blocked to protect you 3. You tap "settings" and flip a switch to allow installing apps from your browser 4. You go back and tap "install". That's it. It's done. And you won't need to go to the settings the next time, it'll just work.

The main hurdle is that (without rooting) there doesn't seem to be a way for alternative app stores to silently update software.

That's bearable though unpleasant when you have one or two pieces of software that rarely get updated, that's absolutely impossible when you have 10+ pieces of software - you'll sit there for 5 minutes just approving install prompts every week, which isn't something a normal human is going to do.

It doesn't help that FDroid is pretty broken, and constantly pops up notifications about updates that don't work/aren't actionable (i.e. tapping the notification doesn't result in an install prompt followed by a successful installation, instead I get various errors etc.). Also, apparently the FDroid review process is even slower than the Play store review process.

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

#506

Post by kreeben »

pmlnr wrote: post #500
Arathorn wrote: post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We received a generic update at 05:31 UTC confirming that the app had been suspended due to abusive content (Sexual Content and Profanity: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... ); we're following up to explain how Matrix and Element works and get this resolved.

This is insane. This jeopardizes every email, xmpp, matrix, etc; basically any 3rd party application.

All web browsers that are not Chrome, beware. You're next.

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

#507

Post by kubanczyk »

pnw_hazor wrote: post #314
nickysielicki wrote: post #179

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.

It's a second comment in this thread like this. I'm not a native speaker and it's hard to tell whether CCP is supposed to be:

- CCCP a cyrillic of SSSR?

- CCP, Chinese Communist Party?

- CCP, the cyclic something peptide, which is a top websearch hit for me?

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

#508

Post by StavrosK »

brettwilcox wrote: post #474
volta83 wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't you just use a web app or any other matrix client if this happens? If Google were to "ban" slack from their store, their browsers, etc. then you would be quite in trouble. But with matrix, just pick a different client and move on.

Yes, I'm doing a custom react client integration. AA has to prepare for black swan events from every angle and this is a perfect example of one. When you have 100,000+ employees, it's not trivial to just switch up communication platforms.

If you need to prepare for Black Swan events, doesn't it make sense to have your own channel to distribute APKs to all devices? Why would you rely on the Play Store at all?

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

#509

Post by lnl »

ttt0 wrote: post #304
uncoder0 wrote: post #240

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…

> Parler is its own platform and Element is just a client.

Indeed, people made that point, but I don't see how this is a useful distinction. Parler (the app) that Google and Apple removed is also just a client, that facilitates access to Parler (the social media website) that can be accessed via other means, e.g. a web browser. And Google and Apple didn't really have any problems with the app itself, which has no content on its own; they wanted different moderation policies on the website. As they have no direct control over the website, they acted against the client app; it was Amazon that took down the website.

One difference might be that Elements and Matrix have different developers and Parler (the app) and Parler (the social media website) have the same owner. But again, this is not a meaningful difference; e.g. if Google and Apple had problem with content on Reddit (the website), surely they would remove both Reddit (the app) and all 3rd party clients, Apollo, Boost, Sync, etc, at least those that fail to actively censor the objectionable parts of the website in the app.

So Apple/Google saw Parler (the website) as having dangerous content and took it out on Parler (the app). If they are justified in that; it is not a big stretch that they saw Matrix (protocol) as having dangerous content and took it out on Element (app), and presumably other clients. I don't think whether it is decentralized or not matters from an app store policy point of view.

Two companies having the say on which programs almost everyone can run on their mobile devices, especially on the iOS side, is a huge problem, that becomes increasingly evident as they start to flex their muscles.

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

#510

Post by ulzeraj »

Ironically this move finally made me to consider Matrix. I'm thinking about spinning a server on a non FAANG provider like Vultr or Linode and setting IM services bridges from there. Nowadays I use lots of different communicators to talk to different people and most of these apps track me. If I setup a Matrix server somewhere that allows me to use those networks without having their software installed on my devices that will not only be convenient but also improve my privacy. Not to mention the Matrix network and protocol that can be used to do fun stuff.

Is Dendrite ready for use? I don't have a lot of memory available and I heard Synapse is kinda heavy on resources.

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