Live data from Hacker News

Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

reclaimthenet.org

521–530 of 577 posts

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#521
post #3

My favorite (and only) podcasting app. I hope someone who works at Google reads this and flag it internally. This quote really sums up how ridiculous Google is being: > What Google is asking of Podcast Addict would be comparable to Google asking a web browser app to remove references to all the websites and social media posts that reference the coronavirus unless the reference comes from an official government entity…

At what point do industries just band together and develop their own app store? Sure third party app stores have far less visibility, but if all the major entertainment groups and content categories could agree on a single app store then it's hard to imagine them failing.

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#522
post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a difference between genuine alternative views and just cultish conspiracy content created for clicks that defies any law of physics - is it reasonable to recommend a video from someone who argues the lockdown is not warranted? Why not. Is it reasonable to recommend someone who denies the existence of the virus and want's to sell you his quack treatments? I don't think so.

> is it reasonable to recommend a video from someone who argues the lockdown is not warranted So you're saying we should censor the President of the United States from Twitter?

Yes, absolutely. The man is causing obvious harm and danger.

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#523

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It didn't start after Trump's election. It started with the "cancel culture" thing a couple of years before that and pressure on companies to participate in the war on crimethink. I tend to think that it contributed to Trump's election, because it has the effect of creating massive polarization. You can't segregate sites by viewpoint and thought filter everything in favor of one side or the other and expect it not to…

The modern polarization of the media began in the 1990s with Newt Gingrich...with help from his patron Rupert Murdoch, an ultra-conservative Australian who owned television stations, tabloids, and newspapers in the US, Australia, and the UK. Before them, politics was still very cutthroat but not polarized along party lines.

This- among side the cable news cycle effect were the genesis of today’s virus.

Have to say — Murdoch has been remarkably influential as a massive negative impact on humanity

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#524
post #509

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At this point: I wish they’d just take a stronger stance and ban everything they don’t like. Is there even any evidence that this app was banned because they "don't like" it? I mean, come on. This surely got flagged by an automatic system that thought it was a covid app. Google and Apple and social media and basically everywhere are absolutely flooded with apps and content designed to scam people by using fear of t…

What kind of spam app detector is so bad that it doesn't claculate wirh maturity, popularity, and reviews?

The word used was scam, not spam

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#525
post #460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pressure from the government is unconstitutional.

The govt asking Google to help keep the spread of misinformation down is totally different than the govt forcing Google to do so and arresting anyone that posts anything contrary to the official position.

Freedom of speech doesn't really care if information is correct or incorrect.

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#526

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As Epic found out, not if you want to remain on Google's good side. They were facing sanctions from Google due to their sideloading of Fortnight onto Android phones and tablets.

What “sanctions” were they facing? They were called out because their app was a security nightmare. https://www.cnet.com/news/fortnites-battle-royale-with-andro...

My understanding is that the "vulnerability" here also exists on every computer or other device on which you download an installer to a public folder--any application can watch that folder and silently replace the file with another when the download completes. There's nothing special about that. Android has a secure internal storage area--but internal storage is often limited. It's gotten better, but my previous phone only had 8gb for both the OS and data to share.

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#527
Does anyone at Google realize how toxic this is for their brand? When I see stuff like this, as a developer I think:

- 1. Wow, I'm never building an Android app if I can build a web app instead.

- 2. There is no way I am ever switching from an iPhone to an Android phone if apps get censored like this (although I'm sure Apple does similar things).

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#528
post #527

Does anyone at Google realize how toxic this is for their brand? When I see stuff like this, as a developer I think: - 1. Wow, I'm never building an Android app if I can build a web app instead. - 2. There is no way I am ever switching from an iPhone to an Android phone if apps get censored like this (although I'm sure Apple does similar things).

I find point #2 confusing. Doesn't iPhone have stronger restrictions on what can be installed as an app?

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#529

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Same argument, pushed a little further: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w33mawVRXdE/VL6Wd6Bc3rI/AAAAAAAAB...

There is literally no legally significant difference between refusing to host a social media account on your website and murdering people.

Re: Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

#530

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes 5G masts are the cause of covid and need to be all burned down. Vaccines causr autism. Bringing your kids to the doctor is harmful, give them bleach anemas. No harm in spreading lies and absurd conspiracies, right?

Two of the 3 things has been portrayed by the President of the US on Twitter. They are not censoring him. Additionally, no harm? Movies encourage terrible behavior as well, but we are not trying to ban them on Netflix. If there is a movie where they glamorize alcohol or unprotected sex, there is no effort to have them removed from streaming platforms. At one point, saying the world was round would have been an absurd…

i keep an ear/eye on things, and there really aren't many saying that 5g causes covid. it's straw manning really. little bit like the autism thing. there are issues with vaccines that are worth looking at, but people like to lump things into groups, and yeah, even lump it into 'wrongthink' and surf the cognitive dissonance with sarcasm.
Post reply on HN