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FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

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Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#61

Post by ocdtrekkie »

Contact your Congresspeople and ask them to support and vote for the Open App Markets Act as soon as possible: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/08/11/apple-g... (The primary goal of this bill is to prohibit Google and Apple from punishing app developers from soliciting payments outside of their platforms.)

Also, consider hooking up with the Coalition for App Fairness, who may be able to help draw more visibility to your issue: https://appfairness.org/

The only solution to constant abuse by app market actors is legal action.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#62

Post by X6S1x6Okd1st »

Siira wrote: post #30
sgtfrankieboy wrote: post #5

I really hope Epic wins the lawsuit against Apple and that the laws being announced in the US Senate/House get passed. I also hope the EU start pushing against this kind of stuff more. Apple and Google have too much control.

Which is why Apple’s volunteered to run on-device surveillance programs. Between their lobbying power and the holy grail of utter surveillance, the governments will never stand for the basic rights of the people.

governments aren't monoliths, there are many players that are looking for different things.

House reps probably aren't setting their legislative agenda about monopolistic power based off of what the intelligence community would like the most.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#63

Post by damsta »

To the person that reviewed this app in Google Play – you are disgusting! You seriously scrolled down on their homepage and you took screenshot of their donate button? That is absurd... How can you end your day of work and think "I did a good job today"...

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#64

Post by sokoloff »

zozbot234 wrote: post #50
itake wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you please elaborate why you would think this is a mistake and Google should side step the app store rules applied to all businesses? This income is clearly taxable. The play store offers a 50% discount for small apps. Is it because the payment is optional (and doesn't unlock new features) that make you think this should be except from Google's rules (and potentially taxes?)?

Taxes are entirely beside the issue - that's between the original developer and the IRS. The Play Store policy has always been about in-app purchases, and few people would describe a donation as "purchasing" anything.

I agree with you on the taxes issue (and can’t imagine how the opposing argument would go).

I disagree with you on the funding the app developer angle. If you seek funding in a way supported, even indirectly, by the app’s availability in the Play Store, Google wants its cut. If you don’t want that support, you’re free to go it alone without the store.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#65

Post by mdoms »

croes wrote: post #48
hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry for being nitpicky but have you even skimmed the article? It has nothing to do with AI: a human visited their website and decided asking for donations there violates the Play Store ToS. I mean your comment is perfectly fine, it simply has nothing to do with the article.

Could still have been an AI that automatically visits all sites and subsites in an App and scans for certain keyword and makes screenshots

This is completely speculative.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#66

Post by g_p »

I'd urge anyone who finds this behaviour unacceptable to contact the UK's CMA - the regulator responsible for competition.

They have an ongoing investigation into Google and Apple's practices with regards to app stores (and mobile platforms in general) [1], and have been looking for evidence on the topic of competition in app stores, and dominance.

While the UK is just one country, the CMA has a wide mandate to act on competition matters and has announced their preliminary findings on the merger of Facebook and Giphy, which (in short) recommend a forced sale of Giphy to prevent potential future anticompetitive moves, such as through terms of service. They have a particular current interest in digital markets, and are forming a new unit specifically to deal with tech antitrust issues (the digital markets unit)

While the CMA public consultation on the Apple/Google mobile platforms work has closed, their investigation team can be contacted via the email inbox listed at [1]. When engaging with regulators like this (for anyone not familiar), it is helpful if you explain why a particular move has harmed you, and can give examples or any available evidence about it, and explain the impact that it has had on you, and the impact on the wider ecosystem as a result.

I'm sure other regulators are looking into this, but for those who are unhappy about this situation, I'd urge you to contact a regulator. If your own national regulator isn't looking into it, there's no reason not to contact the UK one (or indeed any other), and explain your concerns and help them with finding evidence - often for policy and enforcement teams, getting evidence together is the hard part of their job, and I can say from experience they do read their emails.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/mobile-ecosystems-market-study

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/facebook-s-takeover-of-gi...

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#67

Post by jfrunyon »

zozbot234 wrote: post #50
itake wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you please elaborate why you would think this is a mistake and Google should side step the app store rules applied to all businesses? This income is clearly taxable. The play store offers a 50% discount for small apps. Is it because the payment is optional (and doesn't unlock new features) that make you think this should be except from Google's rules (and potentially taxes?)?

Taxes are entirely beside the issue - that's between the original developer and the IRS. The Play Store policy has always been about in-app purchases, and few people would describe a donation as "purchasing" anything.

As mentioned in TFA, Google does not allow non-taxable donations through Play, and requires that you use a 3rd-party processor for those.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#69

Post by X6S1x6Okd1st »

itake wrote: post #21

The developer is asking people to optionally pay for his app. From a tax perspective, the dev would owe taxes on this income, since he is not a not-for-profit legal entity. Since these payments are considered taxable income, I am not sure why they would think they could avoid Google's rules just because they are a "small one-man shop". The simple solution here is to add in-app purchases like every other "small one-ma…

It sounds like they are asking for donations on their website, not through the app. Do the terms of service really extend past the app to the website for the project?

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#70

Post by ribosometronome »

aboringusername wrote: post #28
Phrodo_00 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you assuming this is an AI-driven decision? It looks like human intervention to me.

Isn't it safer to assume it is until proven otherwise? A developer has their app removed, perhaps their livelihood, and Google can't be fucked to sign off who made the decision? If it was a human I expect to know who, and who I can write to so it can be reviewed, by another human. I want to know how I can contact a human for support and not some useless AI chat bot that seem to be all the rage these days (looking at…

How do you know Phrodo_00 isn't an AI?
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