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It's understandable that they want to process payments only for registered organizations, but that still does not explain why are open source apps being taken d

It's understandable that they want to process payments only for registered organizations, but that still does not explain why are open source apps being taken down for linking to an external page that lists ways to support projects.

xyzzy_plugh 7y ago
Probably because Google or it's financial partners have compliance programs that require all money flows they enable go through the required regulatory channels. If an affiliated party is breaking regulations, you can often get in trouble by continuing to be associated with them once you're aware, and ignorance isn't a valid defense.
- dessant 7y ago
  It's unlikely that GitHub subjects themselves to legal risk by allowing developers to link to Patreon [1]. I think this issue has more to do with Google's priorities, than what is legally possible. [1] https://help.github.com/en/articles/displaying-a-sponsor-button-in-your-repository https://help.github.com/en/articles/displaying-a-sponsor-but...
  - xyzzy_plugh 7y ago
    Patreon assumes the bulk of the legal risk, and GitHub probably is ok with Patreon. FWIW I agree with you, Google isn't prioritizing solving this properly and is opting to take the easy way out
- esotericn 7y ago
  Oh do come off it. This is bureaucratic bullshit at its' finest. We're talking about a hyperlink in the app. Linking to wireguard.com would be fine. How about if wireguard.com had a big donate button? How about if wireguard.com has 'Donate' in bold? I know you're not the person actually signing off on this - but to the one that is - fuck you. In bold. No-one is getting sued because of one step being removed in a hyperlink chain to a donate button. If they are it's getting thrown out instantaneously. Characterising a link to a donate button as being in _any way_ related to aiding money laundering is ridiculous. Cease this insanity.
  - Kalium 7y ago
    It's not a lawsuit that people are afraid of. It's potential action from financial regulators, who are famously inflexible and disinterested in being nice to open source software developers in genuine financial need. Parties like Google and Apple are well aware of the potential consequences, and thus are similarly inflexible and disinterested in being nice to a fairly small group of use-cases that exposes them to an outsized amount of risk. It's really, deeply unfortunate. It's incredibly painful for everyone who has to deal with this bureaucratic bullshit. Unfortunately, it being bullshit doesn't make it less real or less reasonable.
    - esotericn 7y ago
      Unless you're casting literally any action ever as being subject to "potential action from financial regulators", which is theoretically true but simply asinine to discuss, this completely misses the point. It is not a real concern for Google to have a hyperlink https://wireguard.com/donations https://wireguard.com/donations buried inside an app distributed on the Google Play Store. I don't believe your concern is legitimate. It's arse covering gone mad, sorry. Rhetorical: You can email me, my email is in my bio, and I will respond with a way that you can send me money. If dang reads this post and does not take it down, does that put HN at risk of AML action for potentially 'aiding the money flow'? edit: actually, you can click through enough links on my bio and get directly to donation pages. now we're really fucked, right? who's gonna turn off the lights?
      - xyzzy_plugh 7y ago
        Your rhetorical is not equivalent. Google Play Store is a marketplace. Google facilitates transactions -- from users to app developers. Some transactions are free, but Google's financial partnerships might mandate that certain regulations apply to the entire Google Play Store ecosystem. I could be wrong, but I'd reckon this is a grey area and Google is opting to avoid the problem altogether (IMO a bad choice). This website is different -- not just free -- there is no financial partnership in play (as far as I'm aware). But rules still apply. If you put a link in your profile taking donations for Syria, the operators of this site are obligated to comply with OFAC sanctions and I'd expect your profile to change pretty quickly. In this case, I'm guessing Google is opting to choose the path of least resistance, and rather than perform due diligence and KYC for apps which solicit donations, they've chosen to just... not do that.
- marcosdumay 7y ago
  They are not enabling this money transfer. They have nothing to do with it at all.

xyzzy_plugh 7y ago

Probably because Google or it's financial partners have compliance programs that require all money flows they enable go through the required regulatory channels. If an affiliated party is breaking regulations, you can often get in trouble by continuing to be associated with them once you're aware, and ignorance isn't a valid defense.

dessant 7y ago
It's unlikely that GitHub subjects themselves to legal risk by allowing developers to link to Patreon [1]. I think this issue has more to do with Google's priorities, than what is legally possible. [1] https://help.github.com/en/articles/displaying-a-sponsor-button-in-your-repository https://help.github.com/en/articles/displaying-a-sponsor-but...
- xyzzy_plugh 7y ago
  Patreon assumes the bulk of the legal risk, and GitHub probably is ok with Patreon. FWIW I agree with you, Google isn't prioritizing solving this properly and is opting to take the easy way out
esotericn 7y ago
Oh do come off it. This is bureaucratic bullshit at its' finest. We're talking about a hyperlink in the app. Linking to wireguard.com would be fine. How about if wireguard.com had a big donate button? How about if wireguard.com has 'Donate' in bold? I know you're not the person actually signing off on this - but to the one that is - fuck you. In bold. No-one is getting sued because of one step being removed in a hyperlink chain to a donate button. If they are it's getting thrown out instantaneously. Characterising a link to a donate button as being in _any way_ related to aiding money laundering is ridiculous. Cease this insanity.
- Kalium 7y ago
  It's not a lawsuit that people are afraid of. It's potential action from financial regulators, who are famously inflexible and disinterested in being nice to open source software developers in genuine financial need. Parties like Google and Apple are well aware of the potential consequences, and thus are similarly inflexible and disinterested in being nice to a fairly small group of use-cases that exposes them to an outsized amount of risk. It's really, deeply unfortunate. It's incredibly painful for everyone who has to deal with this bureaucratic bullshit. Unfortunately, it being bullshit doesn't make it less real or less reasonable.
  - esotericn 7y ago
    Unless you're casting literally any action ever as being subject to "potential action from financial regulators", which is theoretically true but simply asinine to discuss, this completely misses the point. It is not a real concern for Google to have a hyperlink https://wireguard.com/donations https://wireguard.com/donations buried inside an app distributed on the Google Play Store. I don't believe your concern is legitimate. It's arse covering gone mad, sorry. Rhetorical: You can email me, my email is in my bio, and I will respond with a way that you can send me money. If dang reads this post and does not take it down, does that put HN at risk of AML action for potentially 'aiding the money flow'? edit: actually, you can click through enough links on my bio and get directly to donation pages. now we're really fucked, right? who's gonna turn off the lights?
    - xyzzy_plugh 7y ago
      Your rhetorical is not equivalent. Google Play Store is a marketplace. Google facilitates transactions -- from users to app developers. Some transactions are free, but Google's financial partnerships might mandate that certain regulations apply to the entire Google Play Store ecosystem. I could be wrong, but I'd reckon this is a grey area and Google is opting to avoid the problem altogether (IMO a bad choice). This website is different -- not just free -- there is no financial partnership in play (as far as I'm aware). But rules still apply. If you put a link in your profile taking donations for Syria, the operators of this site are obligated to comply with OFAC sanctions and I'd expect your profile to change pretty quickly. In this case, I'm guessing Google is opting to choose the path of least resistance, and rather than perform due diligence and KYC for apps which solicit donations, they've chosen to just... not do that.
marcosdumay 7y ago
They are not enabling this money transfer. They have nothing to do with it at all.