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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

#101

Post by hundchenkatze »

X6S1x6Okd1st wrote: post #76
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #3

This is outrageous. Google definitely lived long enough to become a villain. It is incredible how much goodwill they've lost in the past decade. When was the last time they did anything good ?

That is very black and white thinking. Large organizations can do both good and terrible things. Google still serves are huge portion of search traffic which pretty clearly is a good thing. Youtube has an incredible wealth of tutorials & educational content. Deepmind is pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Various OSS projects continue to be pushed out. Gmail has been an amazing free resource for millions etc.…

> Google still serves are huge portion of search traffic which pretty clearly is a good thing.

Hard disagree there, a single company dominating search is not a good thing.

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

#102

Post by collaborative »

rvz wrote: post #8

Here we go again. Another month, another ban. They are the problem and they will never change. Their behaviour affects everyone and they do not care since they will just point to their guidelines and ban you. Can you finally see that Google (YouTube), Apple, Microsoft and Facebook are NOT your friends?

Shocking this gets downvotes

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

#103

Post by craftinator »

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 you aren't an AI?

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

#105

Post by croes »

mdoms wrote: post #65
croes wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Just like the claim that a human visited the site and found a donation subsite. What's more likely? That someone at google checked the links in a small relatively unknown app or that an automatic process scanned the links in the app, something what is the main business of Google next to advertising?

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

#106

Post by hypothesis »

DannyBee wrote: post #95
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.

Y'all are too optimistic. I will predict for you the future of that, based on the past. The next people in line who control most devices are the carriers. They will set up app stores that are required on their phones (since the laws will not prevent this). Each will have exclusive apps that require their app store be installed (and will not be available on other phones). Things will be a mishmash. Nobody will be actu…

> Nobody will be actually happy.

I’ve heard people say that about true compromise…

It seems like there are extremes, carriers were abusing their positions before Apple came up with iPhone and app store and wrangled power away from carriers. Now they have lived long enough to become the villain… it might be time to reset matrix again and work towards a better outcome.

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

#107

Post by jfrunyon »

RHSeeger wrote: post #83
jfrunyon wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Purchases that require Google Play's billing system: Digital items, Subscription services, App functionality or content, Cloud software and services" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... "Developers charging for apps and downloads from Google Play must use Google Play's billing system as the method of payment. Play-distributed apps must use Google Play's billing system as the method of pay…

While I understand what you're saying here, I would guess that it's seen as bypassing the intent of the rules, if not their specific wording. If I put an app up on the app store for free, then link to my site and ask for donations, I am effectively using the app store for free. The app in question is effectively setup to say "you don't need to pay for this app, but we would really like you too"... and then the paymen…

If Google's intent is to ban donations to an app creator, then why does it explicitly say "if they require or accept payment for access to features or services, including any app functionality, digital content or goods"?

Frankly it seems to me that the intent of the rules is to specifically allow asking for payment/"donation" outside of Play so long as nothing in your app is affected by it.

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

#109

Post by dang »

aboringusername wrote: post #7

This is absolutely outrageous and disgusting from Google. I cannot believe how at the rate the world is changing (pace wise, with each new technological breakthrough) the law simply cannot keep pace. We've allowed AI systems unfettered, unrestricted access to our lives. AI is being deployed with absolutely no oversight (Apple's CSAM comes to mind), I'm not even sure there are any laws at all. How can apple just deplo…

Please don't fulminate or call names on HN, regardless of how you feel about app store policies. Instead, please make your substantive points thoughtfully. All this is in the site guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html.

> But as I've said on HN before this thread will eventually disappear in a few hours until next time.

HN has had tons of threads on these general topics. They are heavily discussed in this forum and spend plenty of time on the front page.

Maybe some such threads have been flagged—most likely that would be because users get tired of repetition. If you've developed the impression that the topic is somehow being suppressed, that's probably because you've overgeneralized from a few data points (or one) that you saw on some occasion(s).

https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

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

#110

Post by alpaca128 »

davisr wrote: post #41
aboringusername wrote: post #7

This is absolutely outrageous and disgusting from Google. I cannot believe how at the rate the world is changing (pace wise, with each new technological breakthrough) the law simply cannot keep pace. We've allowed AI systems unfettered, unrestricted access to our lives. AI is being deployed with absolutely no oversight (Apple's CSAM comes to mind), I'm not even sure there are any laws at all. How can apple just deplo…

> How many more times must threads like this be posted to HN before we DEMAND action be taken? I completely agree with you, but do realize that the majority of hacker newses are coders (not even programmers) who would never take responsibility for their shoddy work. Heavens forbid they, or their management, be held personally liable for their mistakes. They won't even call defects, "defects"--they're just "bugs"! Who…

The word bug has nothing to do with someone's stance on "defects". This term has been in use (with the same meaning) for longer than computers exist. It also has no connection to bugs as in animals. But what do I know, I'm just a shoddy coder.
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