28 ms·

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

• jbj 6y ago
  Although you sometimes have to manually copy the RSS feed in, SoundWaves is not bad at all: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.bottiger.podcast/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.bottiger.podcast/ I am actually curious if any of you have other recommended apps from F-droid
  • frosted-flakes 6y ago
    Sadly, SoundWaves is super buggy if you have a larger font size set, and it's auto-playlist function is super annoying. I prefer AntennaPod, another open-source app podcast app that's much less opinionated and has a few more features (but not bloated like most podcast apps). https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.danoeh.antennapod/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.danoeh.antennapod/ It's also available on the Google App Store. I like how both of these apps actually let you manually set the RSS address, because most don't.
• sdan 6y ago
  Original link: https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-suspends-podcast-addict/ https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-suspends-podcast-addic... Weird that Apple does this proxying... not going to open up that News app.
  • matsemann 6y ago
    Or their tweet [0] which I posted here earlier [1] (but didn't get any traction). [0]: https://mobile.twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1261651512947691520?s=09 https://mobile.twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/126165151294... [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23207039 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23207039
  • mosselman 6y ago
    This isn't what phishing is. You might not like it, but that doesn't make it phishing.
    • JadeNB 6y ago
      Your parent post might have been changed, but it currently says 'proxying', not 'phishing'.
      • mosselman 6y ago
        It said 'phishing' yes. Parent could have posted something along the lines of 'ah yes, phishing is something else', but ah well.
  • wodenokoto 6y ago
    Dang, can we change the link to https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-suspends-podcast-addict/ https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-suspends-podcast-addic...?
  • newswasboring 6y ago
    weirder because the website being proxy-ed is all about privacy protections. I am pretty sure I just submitted data I did not intend to to apple.
• ipsum2 6y ago
  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 or public health organization.
  • Crosseye_Jack 6y ago
    > asking a web browser app to remove references to all the websites and social media posts Except usually a web browser doesn't include a index of sites, You go to a another site (Google/Bing) for that. If a browser does include "recommended sites" the landing pages of those sites best keep to Google's and Apples rules. For an extreme example, If Firefox was promoting PornHub on the new tab page we could understand why Google or Apple would tell them to cut it out, but it doesn't stop you from visiting the site. I'm not saying I agree with what Google have done here (IMO they should re-instate Podcast Addict), Just that I can see why Google could think "recommended podcasts" and podcast indexes come under the "included content" of an app. EDIT: As others has said here, It's more like Google banning YouTube because it contains video's about covid 19 which don't come from "approved sources" (Though Google did demonetize people for talking about it and de-rank non "approved sources")
    • robkop 6y ago
      I would disagree in saying it's like Google banning YouTube as YouTube both hosts the actual data as well as filters the data that gets put onto the platform.
      • Crosseye_Jack 6y ago
        Yeah podcast app's rarely host the content themselves (though some do mirror the files to their own CDN's and Spotify have recently started doing exclusive podcasts). It was more that Podcast app's come with a curated list of podcasts and a search feature backed into the application then the actual hosting of the content.
• notRobot 6y ago
  I don't like this. Podcasts operate on open standards, anyone can launch an RSS feed which can then be played on any app. Banning this app is like banning web browsers because the allow access "questionable" websites or banning search engines because they index such sites. I hate how much (dis/mis)information is being spread about COVID-19, but banning an entire podcast app leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
• tams 6y ago
  It's a great podcast app which gives the user a ton of freedom and tweaking possibilities, but it's also set and forget. If this is the first time you hear about it, the safest place to obtain it is the author's Google Drive: https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1262047866614247425 https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1262047866614247425
• dannyw 6y ago
  > In order to get the app restored, Google is asking Guillemane to remove references to COVID-19 and keywords related to COVID-19 from the app. So is this a metadata issue, or a content issue?
  • holler 6y ago
    It’s a tyrannical anti-trust issue.
  • Steko 6y ago
    Why does a general use podcast app have covid in its search keywords? Scumbag marketing tactic; kudos to google if that’s all this is over.
    • matsemann 6y ago
      Did it? Looking at the Google cache of the Play Store page, the only references I can find to covid, virus or similar terms are reviews saying they downloaded it because of the lockdown and are happy with it. Edit: Here's how the page looked the day before takedown, no hints here at least of them doing anything like that: http://web.archive.org/web/20200515172150/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuna.podcastaddict http://web.archive.org/web/20200515172150/https://play.googl... And even if they were, couldn't a general app say something along "listen to your favorite sports podcasts, ted talks or get the latest news about X"?
    • Aissen 6y ago
      It auto-recommends (very) popular podcasts. Guess what: many of them have Covid-related episodes.
• lighttower 6y ago
  I've seen so many of these posts saying, Google removes this or that from the store. But until now I did not realize how criminal this is. I know the Dev. Super guy, addresses help questions from thousands of users personally all without the jaded condescending that many maintainers effuse.
• mijoharas 6y ago
  Wow, obviously an oversight. Pretty sure Google does not want search tools to be responsible for the content of the results they surface...
  • deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  • laumars 6y ago
    To some extent they already are. Whether it’s the EUs “Right to be Forgotten” or US DMCA takedown notices, Google are responsible for removing listings. To be clear: I also don’t agree with the podcast takedown.
  • nikofeyn 6y ago
    > Wow, obviously an oversight. this is google's mantra these days. do they do anything well anymore?
• cft 6y ago
  I think a socially good deed would be to take the original tweet https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1261671685477941253/photo/1 https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1261671685477941253... and respond to it tweeting @FTC , @kenpaxtontx (who is behind the antimonopoly case). Google will reinstate the app soon, but it should help building the antimonopoly case against this evil machine.
  • rendall 6y ago
    Good idea. Done.
  • sixstringtheory 6y ago
    Somewhat on topic: a reply to that tweet simply had the captain kirk facepalm gif, and twitter warned me that it may contain sensitive content. Social media is creating a milquetoast society.
• square_usual 6y ago
  This is like Google banning the YouTube app from the play store for having videos about covid that aren't from government sources. Insane stuff.
  • cm2187 6y ago
    Isn't it even worse? Does the app hosts the podcast or merely references them / plays them? More like banning a browser from the store as the browser may be used to display inapropriate content.
  • numpad0 6y ago
    I see your intent is an analogy but that’s exactly what they did in Jan-Mar timeframe. They suspended people for acknowledging the virus’ existence. Just CCP style.
    • ImprobableTruth 6y ago
      Are you sure? I thought they were just demonetizing them (which is still bad, but less bad)
  • laumars 6y ago
    That’s an interesting example because YouTube are also removing COVID-19 content from some disreputable sources. To be clear: I’m not defending Google, I also don’t agree with the podcast takedown.
    • jeltz 6y ago
      I found this very quickly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgln8rjuIMU&feature=share https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgln8rjuIMU&feature=share
      • laumars 6y ago
        I didn't say their algorithm was flawless, just that they are removing content. Here's a few citations: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52388586 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52388586 https://fee.org/articles/youtube-to-ban-content-that-contradicts-who-on-covid-19-despite-the-un-agency-s-catastrophic-track-record-of-misinformation/ https://fee.org/articles/youtube-to-ban-content-that-contrad... https://www.theblaze.com/news/youtube-will-remove-any-coronavirus-content-that-goes-against-who-recommendations https://www.theblaze.com/news/youtube-will-remove-any-corona... https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-ramps-up-action-to-remove-covid-19-misinformation/576577/ https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-ramps-up-actio... These haven't been cherry picked, they're the top 4 results on a DDG search. Your example only demonstrates that you don't understand the difficulty in censoring content on social platforms as enormous as YouTube; not that Google don't have a policy that prohibits such content.
• kolpazan 6y ago
  This is my first comment in HN. This is the best productive podcast app ever. The developer is also so helpful with any kind of bugs I reported. I hope this is resolved quickly.
  • MattGaiser 6y ago
    I am impressed you remember your password from that long ago.
    • Hamuko 6y ago
      Pretty sure password managers existed four years ago.
      • gus_massa 6y ago
        And if you have forgot your password but filled the email field, you can reset it with https://news.ycombinator.com/forgot https://news.ycombinator.com/forgot
    • epmos 6y ago
      This made me wonder how long since I had last logged into HN. About that long, though I had commented before that.
    • deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    • Mazzen 6y ago
      I'm still using BeyondPod. Development is stale and problems start appearing. It has one-two features really unique that I miss with other apps. First and foremost "Smart Playlists"
    • vikramkr 6y ago
      People lurk and upvote, you know
  • jhpaul 6y ago
• bbarn 6y ago
  COVID-19 is the terrorism of this generation. It's the anything goes, doesn't matter how fair, as long as it's because COVID.
  • smt88 6y ago
    Terrorism became a US obsession because a little over 3,000 died on our soil. Covid-19 will kill 100,000 or more. The fear is justified and the extreme prejudice against Covid-19 misinformation (most of which has an agenda behind it) is warranted. This particular case may go too far, but that has no bearing on whether the other efforts against misinformation are too extreme.
    • techntoke 6y ago
      https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fbi-erroneously-reveals-identity-of-saudi-diplomat-with-suspected-911-links-2020-05-13 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fbi-erroneously-reveals-id... Please tell me again how it was justified to attack Iraq, while we continue to bend over for Saudi Arabia? The fear is not justified, never has been, and it is not the time to sign away your freedoms and believe whatever government agencies and corporations tell you.
      • Dylan16807 6y ago
        That comment's only mention of fear is the fear of covid. What are you insultingly responding to?
        • techntoke 6y ago
          > The fear is justified and the extreme prejudice against Covid-19 misinformation (most of which has an agenda behind it) is warranted. This is the same stuff that was said during Iraq War. That it was justified. Later, we found out that it wasn't and that we attacked a country even though it was Saudi Arabia that was primarily responsible. Now, they are trying to say that extreme measures, such as censoring people with alternative opinions is justified. Who cares if WHO or whatever else agency disagrees. People are capable of making choices for themselves and doing research. Blocking information, just because it may be inaccurate, doesn't justify it. You then have a centralized power determining what information is accurate like the events that lead to the Iraq War.
• MattGaiser 6y ago
  What is going on with Google? We had PushBullet being threatened with removal over vague problems just a few days ago. I don't buy the "evil monopoly" narrative as what does this accomplish for Google?
  • indy 6y ago
    Probably a sign of over-reliance on automated systems
    • numpad0 6y ago
      Or a sign of self proclaimed scientific communist regime turning into it was social experiment narrative
  • JadeNB 6y ago
    Google has an explicit notice up on YouTube Studio, at least, saying that they'll remove content that might not violate copyright because they are cutting back on human review. (It doesn't seem to occur to them that they could err on the side of not assuming copyright, though.) I'm sure this is part of the same trend.
    • rjmunro 6y ago
      They can't "err on the side of not assuming copyright". They have to block things first, ask questions later according to various laws and agreements around the world, or they will open themselves up to massive lawsuits, principally from big music labels.
  • mrkramer 6y ago
    I also don't buy the "evil monopoly" narrative I think it is automated flagging algorithms, humans are only "approving" bans.
  • mindslight 6y ago
    Censorship simply does not scale. A centralized entity cannot get all the details correct, and a larger community has more diverging values. The more Google attempts to police information, the more wrong judgments it makes. It's inevitable.
• chungus 6y ago
  Ah man, this is one the few apps I use daily. Even remember the guys name, Xavier something.
• ecmascript 6y ago
  This is disgusting, Google has become disgusting.. This is exactly why Google and maybe other large corporations absolutely need to get split up. I hope Trump takes action against US tech companies as he have said he would. Very few things would make me happier as an european.
  • enos_feedler 6y ago
    This actually feels like an intentional move by Google to NOT get split up. Don’t worry government, we got your back! We’ll ban things that aren’t approved by you!
    • mav3rick 6y ago
      Yes Google wants to do this via a Podcast app. The lengths people here go to to rationalize their bias is shocking. Have fun in your bubble.
      • enos_feedler 6y ago
        No they are doing this via Section 8.3 of the Developer Distribution Agreement. Sadly the Podcast app is collateral damage.
    • mschuster91 6y ago
      No, it's a service to public health to take down crap. People spreading "covid19 is fake" propaganda are literally getting themselves, their parents and friends killed. Freedom of speech also comes with responsibility - the responsibility of not endangering others with your speech. Similar as inciting hatred and screaming "fire" in a crowded restaurant will earn you jail time, people should be happy it's only their YT channel killed and not their sorry asses landing in jail! I would have no problem if covid19 was taking out only those propaganda spouting idiots from the gene pool, but unlike let's say people ignoring gun safety laws and pointing a loaded shotgun at their feet which then goes off and blasts their feet away but like as with antivaxxers, anything involving infectious diseases also endangers innocent people. Mothers, fathers, children, the weakest of societies. I am incredibly lucky to not have lost someone close to me to the 'rona, but other people I know have not been that lucky. So every time I hear someone "we gotta open up for the economy!!!" I'd like to throw these idiots in a jail cell and let the keys sink to the bottom of the Mariana Trench out of empathy for those affected by the reality.
• iagooar 6y ago
  And meanwhile you can use Google to search for "covid19 podcast" and you will get podcast recommendations from non-government sources. This is insane.
  • eternalban 6y ago
    The object of censorship is silencing dissent. A million clueless searches vs a few informed dissenting voices, which is more troubling for authoritarian regimes? You can search all you want, but can you share what you have learned? Welcome to our "new normal".
    • mcintyre1994 6y ago
      Sure, here's me sharing a page I got to from a Google Search, hosted by Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXN0ZmlyZS5jb20vYWJjLW5ld3MtcmFkaW8vY292aWRfMTk/episode/S0FHakFoOXhDNUdEb0ZNOXA2eDdVaW1IeWlPcXQ5Rjc?ved=0CAcQ38oDahcKEwiwp5rwo73pAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQHQ https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXN0Zml... On it you can listen to a podcast about Covid 19 from a media company that is not a government agency or health organisation.
• drevil-v2 6y ago
  This is so scary. Any dissent is being deprived of oxygen.
• northern-lights 6y ago
  The only Podcast app worth using. I hope Google understands the slippery slope they are treading and its implications and consequences.
  • salicideblock 6y ago
    I disagree, I was on Podcast Addict and then moved to Pocket Casts and did not look back. Podcast Addict's UI was a bit too full for the simple use I do of podcasts.
    • tcharlton 6y ago
      It was (is?) a great podcast app for power users.
• swagatkonchada 6y ago
  I'm pretty sure POTUS doesn't approve google. Please ban yourself.
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• raverbashing 6y ago
  > to remove references to COVID-19 and keywords related to COVID-19 from the app Wait. Is this from the app apk or from dynamic content displayed on the app? If it's the former, it's fair enough, if it's from the latter it's just another SNAFU by Google.
  • gwright 6y ago
    Their automated system/review process is broken with respect to apps that render user generated content. I've had several requests from Google over the last couple of years to make changes to my app to remove user generated content that is being rendered in the app. Sigh.
• villgax 6y ago
  Google's own stuff doesn't filter content from non-govt sources, guess it's time to suspend?
• tomcooks 6y ago
  Use f-droid and install antennapod.
• not_a_moth 6y ago
  Wow, rather Orwellian. The referenced authorities aren't even in agreement on a lot of basics about covid, and had given false information on key aspects earlier. We can also rightfully draw some conclusions about covid, e.g. looking at data, without needing to be an official authority. Google has smart people, so this makes it all the more distressing.
• solarkraft 6y ago
  Meta: Why are you posting an Apple News link that is a redirection to the original source, instead of the original source?
• lord_erasmus 6y ago
  In most of these stories featuring Google abusing their power to remove apps, it's usually a matter of some automated tool gone wrong and the problem is solved a couple of days later. But this time it's different, they are actually asking developers to censor themselves if they are not affiliated with a gov.
  • gundmc 6y ago
    What makes you think this is something other than another (awful) high profile case of automation gone wrong?
    • fauigerzigerk 6y ago
      Because their action seems consistent with their stated intention of banning all non-official speech on Covid-19? It could still be reversed if they feel public opinion swings the other way. That wouldn't mean it's automation gone wrong.
      • random32840 6y ago
        It may be automated based on frequency of reports, but either way this is unlikely to be company policy. The people who make these decisions are relatively low-level employees following a company guidebook. The guidebook says it has to go? It has to go. The employee doesn't want to get fired. I doubt it'll stick.
        • fauigerzigerk 6y ago
          >...but either way this is unlikely to be company policy Perhaps you haven't seen the article because it's behind an Apple News link. There's a screenshot of a message stating company policy as follows: "Pursuant to Section 8.3 of the Developer Agreement and the Enforcement policy, apps referencing Covid-19, or related terms, in any form will only be approved for distribution on Google Play if they are published, commissioned or authorized by official government entities or public health organizations"
• 000dry 6y ago
  Podcast Addict is a great app. I came across it back when I was playing around with Tasker, and it was such a fun app to create tasks around simply because the developer has exposed so much through Intents. A really positive platform, such a shame to see Google quashing this sort of thing.
• kleiba 6y ago
  I've never lived in China but this immediately sounds like my (naive) idea of what it must be like: you're only allowed to consume what the government has approved. I think this is setting a dangerous precedence.
  • weiming 6y ago
    Except in this case it's not the government, but private corporations taking some kind of political stance. Google in particular has been very "active," not to forget also: https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-will-ban-anything-against-who-guidance-2020-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-will-ban-anything-ag... ("video that 'goes against' WHO guidance on the pandemic will be blocked")
    • Tepix 6y ago
      There is a lot of pressure on the large tech companies to stop spreading misinformation. This is one of their measures.
      • thu2111 6y ago
        In the USA? The pressure comes entirely from their straight-from-college activist workforce, with nothing to do and no vision to aim for they've degenerated into constant virtue signalling of the form "we are so intelligent, we must use our intelligence to save the world from bad people/republicans". Google didn't used to be like this. Remember the glory days of organising the world's information, to make it universally accessible? Apparently Google have forgotten. Back when most people who worked there were adults there wasn't any internal pressure to censor stuff because they understood where that path would lead. But a foolish choice to keep hiring indefinitely, just because they could, meant they ran out of adults to hire a long time ago and were forced to rely far more heavily on sucking up the flow of new grads. They go from one university-like environment in which results hardly matter to another, working on the long tail of me-too products nobody cares about, searching for meaning. And they find it in "doing good" and "fighting evil", as they see it, which given the academic "never criticise a fellow professor" mindset they've been steeped in translates naturally to deleting anything that implicitly or otherwise criticises academics (sorry, experts).
• milofeynman 6y ago
  Google should be more careful about banning high ranking/rated apps. It looks anti-competitive considering they want more people using Google podcasting app. I'd like to think this was an accident somewhere down the chain and will be remedied in the morning. I love the app and hope it gets sorted out.
  • tcharlton 6y ago
    It's been 2 days, How long do we wait until we conclude it isn't an accident?
  • marcinzm 6y ago
    >It looks anti-competitive Why would google care at this point? Regulators world wide are basically useless. They might sue Google eventually and years later Google might settle for 1% of the profit they made as a result. So why would they ever care?
• database_lost 6y ago
  Wow, what a shitty move... Even if this is an automated process, this is still shitty. This app is one of a select few I think work perfectly, as it does exactly what I want it to do. It was also the first app I paid for since it was so good.
• bdibs 6y ago
  This is obviously overreach in my opinion, and (tangentially) might explain the bump in installs for my podcast player. I had a feature on COVID, guess I’m going to remove that... (I know that doesn’t protect the app from removal, but could delay it, I don’t know)
• tiborsaas 6y ago
  Is this a desperate attempt to fix fake news? Or are they obeying some government order?
• sohamsankaran 6y ago
  If anybody here knows Hiroshi Lockheimer (SVP platforms), please ping him about this.
• benbristow 6y ago
  So Reddit has /r/conspiracy that can be accessed through the app, should that be removed?
  • postsantum 6y ago
    Google routinely bans reddit clients for ability to access NSFW pictures
    • benbristow 6y ago
      Firefox lets you access Pornhub. Why is that not banned?
• amanzi 6y ago
  I'm sure Google will suspend their own podcast app too? > Searching for “coronavirus”or “COVID-19” in Google Podcasts returns podcasts from mainstream media outlets that aren’t endorsed by government entities or public health organizations.
• choward 6y ago
  I've been getting away from apps installed from the play store over the years. This is one of the 2 remaining apps I have that I paid for. This is appalling behavior my Google. I can't wait until I can make a real Linux based phone my daily driver.
  • tjhrewr234234 6y ago
    > I can't wait until I can make a real Linux based phone my daily driver. Alas, all the competitors are now moribund, and much of the market couldn't give two hoots about privacy issues.
    • amenod 6y ago
      What do you mean? Pinephone is alive and well and you can get your own Linux "toy" for $150. Can't say much about Librem 5, but afaik they are also shipping.
      • m4rtink 6y ago
        You can also get officially supported Sailfish OS on a couple Xperia devices: https://jolla.com/sailfishx/ https://jolla.com/sailfishx/ Perfectly suitable for daily use, typing from such a device just now. :) IIRC there is a community port for PinePhone as well.
        • jbj 6y ago
          Sailfish is pretty great and I wish them all the best, I did find myself in need of a few features while using it, one thing being their web browsers lack of usb access for devices like yubikeys: https://together.jolla.com/question/213458/usb-2fa-support-in-stock-webbrowser/ https://together.jolla.com/question/213458/usb-2fa-support-i...
          • jbj 6y ago
            couldn't edit, but want to add that there are now more alternatives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7LFPw9Z2aM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7LFPw9Z2aM
• yuvalr1 6y ago
  This is once again an example for how freedom of speech is becoming more and more controlled by tech companies. I'm a little worried about this phenomenon. Google is not constructed by journalists. Freedom of speech might not be first priority for Google.
  • encom 6y ago
    Just think about how extremely dystopian it is, to punish someone for relaying information that is not approved by the government. The slope is getting slippier every day.
    • marvin 6y ago
      Someone on HN suggested an amendment to the rule that private companies are not obliged to follow any freedom of speech principles when they grow to a size where they are closer to a carrier than a service. I think it's time to seriously consider something like that.
    • 9HZZRfNlpR 6y ago
      Sweden and herd immunity is official government source? Also this is the only country where scientists are in 100% control, politicians don't make these shots what so ever, this is their policy for this pandemic. So all these anti lockdown folks can always have that as an official government source and possibly also scientific because of the way they set it up there. Of course at least in Europe all the countries are moving the same direction anyway.
      • moftz 6y ago
        Sweden is 7th in confirmed cases per capita. I'm not sure you can point to them as a success story.
    • tasogare 6y ago
      Or "public health organizations". Given how much the WHO lied to everyone to protect PRC, continues to do it and bullied the country that handle the crisis the best (Taiwan) this is particularly ridiculous, in addition to being indeed distopic. Or maybe Google want us to drink bleach, as this a solution approved by POTUS? Not wearing masks like the French government said? If anything governmental sources should be as heavily fact checked as any others.
• emerongi 6y ago
  Has there been any scientific assessment of how powerful Google is compared to governments? Governments in general seem to be lagging hard behind advances on the net. More and more power is ending up in the hands of companies.
• dwardu 6y ago
  What a load of garbage, next they'll ban overcast because they let people subscribe to RSS feeds, and some people have hard left/right wing podcasts, or anything you want to see that's not mainstream.
• huffmsa 6y ago
  Timing is suspicious, Google is finally beginning the final phase of Play Music shutdown, which means Google Podcasts will be the new way to access podcasts. Because it makes a ton of sense to move music to YouTube music, but the podcasts to something entirely different. They're blindly stumbling around making sure the public will think they're pretty deserving of any and all antitrust hammers than swing their way in the near future.
• jakub_g 6y ago
  @dang: the URL of the article is https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-suspends-podcast-addict/ https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-suspends-podcast-addic... - not apple.news which is mere redirect.
• Geeflow 6y ago
  Podcast Addict is my favorite podcast app. I have been using it with great satisfaction for years. I hope that gets sorted out quickly. Another aspect that I don't quite understand: The story claims that Google asks for the app to be published as a new download. And indeed the provided screenshot includes this request (in pretty small print). This makes no sense to me. Why wouldn't Google be satisfied by just changing the existing app? Any ideas what the reason might be?
• mrkramer 6y ago
  Meanwhile on Google's own podcast search engine https://podcasts.google.com/?q=covid-19 https://podcasts.google.com/?q=covid-19. Content management teams are too powerful, this needs to be decided by some kind of content board within the company and not by one person who is leading the content management team within Google Play.
• McTossOut 6y ago
  HN user bans Google Play Store from their phone for repeatedly installing unwanted parasite "Chrome"
• Barrin92 6y ago
  One of the few paid apps I use extensively. Completely ridiculous given that their own damn podcast app shows everyone the same podcasts. Not to mention that you can literally post an RSS feed into pretty much every podcast app, it's an open ecosystem. Jesus. Can Google actually put people with some degree of sensibliity in charge of these decisions? This reminds me of Amazon deleting 1984 from people's Kindles.
• LatteLazy 6y ago
  Freedom of speech is a bitch but a necessary one...
• newswasboring 6y ago
  I just downloaded google podcast app. Did a search for corona, there are a bunch of results. Google is not a government entity, neither are all the podcasts I could find using it. I hope they will ban their own podcast app pretty soon.
  • donatzsky 6y ago
    Make sure you flag Google Podcasts as inappropriate, giving the references to coronavirus as the reason.
    • thehm 6y ago
      Link for convenience: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/takedown https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/cont... The package name is 'com.google.android.apps.podcasts'
    • zuminator 6y ago
      And leave a 1-star review stating the reason.
  • deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
• xerxesaa 6y ago
  Like many others, this is also my favorite podcasting app. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was using this exact app to listen to the "Making Sense" podcast by Sam Harris, on the topic of covid-19. This is clearly not a government source, but as usual, Sam probes with some of the most intelligent, nuanced questions on this topic. It would be sad to see discussions like these get suppressed with the rest under Google's policy. I've been a Pixel/Nexus user for about a decade. I'm feeling it's finally time to get out of Google-land and move to a more open phone with F-Droid. I don't trust Google to use their power fairly. Any recommendations for devices?
• ezoe 6y ago
  >has been suspended on the grounds that some of the podcasts it indexes reference the coronavirus but aren’t approved by government entities or public health organizations. I don't know. The google should ban itself for they indexes reference the coronavirus but... oh well.
• dreamcompiler 6y ago
  Pretty ironic given that an "official government source" advocated the ineffective and dangerous drug hydroxychloroquine and suggested people inject bleach into their bodies. Edit: Changed hydroxyquinone to the correct hydroxychloroquine.
  • lbeltrame 6y ago
    Where is the proof of inefficacy? For the record, there's no proof of efficacy either, because all the trials done that prove or disprove efficacy of hydroxychloroquine were flawed in one point or the other (at least the ones I've read). To give an answer to this endless debate, a proper, randomized clinical trial is needed. And the conditions set correctly, too: lopinavir and ritonavir were, per NEJM, not successful, but a later study in Lancet showed that administration at earlier time points (within 7 days of symptom onset) might be working and needs more investigation. I know Novartis is running a trial, and so is U of Minnesota[1] which has finally completed enrollment and will release results after peer review. Oh, and more on topic, it looks like Twitter has blocked a legitimate page of the Canadian part of the same group of trials[2]. [1] https://covidpep.umn.edu/ https://covidpep.umn.edu/ [2] https://twitter.com/DrToddLee/status/1261442201369939968 https://twitter.com/DrToddLee/status/1261442201369939968
    • dreamcompiler 6y ago
      > Where is the proof of inefficacy? It doesn't work that way. New drugs are assumed ineffective until proven otherwise. A government official with no medical training recommending an unproven drug based on a few anecdotes is the height of irresponsibility.
      • lbeltrame 6y ago
        Currently the studies can't tell if HCQ is effective or not because all of them have been wasted opportunities for many different reasons, from too few patients, to absence of controls, to too late administration (the NEJM paper and the Lancet paper on lopinavir/ritonavir tell important lessons on this topic). We're in the "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" territory. I would say HCQ is a "lead" in the pharmacological sense (after all there's an effect in vitro), but of course there's no guarantee it will work properly (work as in "higher efficacy than placebo or other treatments") in vivo. The reason for my comment is that the announcement by the "government official" (who was not the first, the first being the eccentric Dr.Raoult) turned what should have been scientific debate into a political flamefest (at least in the media). And science (aka, proper, randomized clinical trials) got lost in the way (at some point the U of Minnesota trial struggled to get new people). I personally don't have any particular love for HCQ: chances are, like remedisivir, that if there is an effect, it is small. But I want to point out that so far science is still out on this one.
• mirimir 6y ago
  There seems to be this mistaken idea that smartphones are like small PCs that can make phone calls. But they're really far more like gaming consoles. They're pretty much locked down.
• arda_demirtas 6y ago
  This is what happens when you give a company/person to control your everything. Stop selling your data without actually selling.
• thinkingemote 6y ago
  I did a ctrl-f and got 0 results so let's start the mandatory "Google is a private company it can ban whatever it likes, it is not censorship" thread
• mcintyre1994 6y ago
  Do Google offer a more censored version of Apple's Podcasts index? My favourite podcast app on iOS (Overcast) uses Apple's index as its source for search/recommendations (though obviously you can add any other feed yourself) and there's heaps and heaps of non-Government approved podcasts on the topic. If you run a Podcasting app on Android, does an index even exist that you can use and remain compliant? Whatever index they use on podcasts.google.com is full of the same, so I'm leaning toward no. https://podcasts.google.com/?q=covid19&hl=en-GB https://podcasts.google.com/?q=covid19&hl=en-GB It sounds like it is the indexing that's the issue here. Worth noting that if they ever crack down on Podcast apps being able to play non-indexed content they'll wipe out the whole Patreon economy around podcasts, which relies on sharing private feeds with subscribers.
• katktv 6y ago
  I just noticed that this is the same shit right wing organization that conveniently protects alt-right stuff when it gets banned from somewhere. Can we please not promote this kind of stuff here? Edit: to back myself up. Here is this website standing behind authoritarian right-wing government doing antisemitic dogwhistles: https://reclaimthenet.org/hungarian-government-facebook-oversight-board/ https://reclaimthenet.org/hungarian-government-facebook-over... Here it is protecting conspiracy theorists against "censorship": https://reclaimthenet.org/youtube-demonetizes-sgtreport-trureporting-tin-foil-hat-realist-news/ https://reclaimthenet.org/youtube-demonetizes-sgtreport-trur... Here it is covering the ban of a known right-wing troll (also piss drinker) Joey Salads: https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-suspends-joey-salads/ https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-suspends-joey-salads/ Here it is supporting a fringe far-right social network Gab a bunch of times: https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-biggest-mastadon-node/ https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-biggest-mastadon-node/ https://reclaimthenet.org/new-gab-decentralized-version/ https://reclaimthenet.org/new-gab-decentralized-version/ https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-chat/ https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-chat/ https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-pro-benefits/ https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-pro-benefits/ It's just so much consistent support for basically fascists on this. Propping this website up is dangerous.
  • ripdog 6y ago
    Really disturbing that I had to scroll right to the bottom of the page to find someone questioning the source of this. While obviously Podcast Addict does not deserve a ban, the sheer number of people in this thread advocating unrestricted speech around COVID-19 is thoroughly disturbing. This despite the carnage that the disease is wreaking in the US and UK right now, and the fact that conspiracy theories spread on Google and Facebook platforms have certainly added significant fuel to the fire of COVID-19. Even down here in NZ we're dealing with cell towers being set alight due to batshit conspiracy theories spread on Facebook and Youtube. I'm generally very much pro-free speech, but this is one thing that needs to be stamped down on fast, mainly due to more and more americans gathering in large protests and spreading the virus.
    • lbeltrame 6y ago
      > While obviously Podcast Addict does not deserve a ban, the sheer number of people in this thread advocating unrestricted speech around COVID-19 is thoroughly disturbing. Are you sure that advocating a "stamp down" won't throw away the baby with the bathwater? In my country, a lot of now very legitimate theories (thrombosis and treatment with heparin, convalescent plasma therapy) were slammed by certain very prominent experts at first ("baloney", "colossal idiocy"). What would've happened if Twitter or Google decided to remove the "controversial" theories? Also, Twitter now is blocking an URL of a legitimate university promoting a trial with hydroxychloroquine. As you can see, to remove the "batshit conspiracy theories" we are also removing good science.
• dreamcompiler 6y ago
  Google is under a great deal of scrutiny by governments right now. Their collective fight-or-flight behavior has kicked in and they're starting to exhibit some pretty crazy behavior. There's never been a better time to excise Google from your life, or if you work there, to excise your life from theirs.
• voldacar 6y ago
  > 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 or public health organization. Give it a few years
  • m-p-3 6y ago
    Or asking reddit to censor content and keywords when displaying user-generated content while using their app on Android. This is unhealthy behavior towards the open web, which Google seems to work aggressively towards its full control through web browser, ads, and cloud computing.
• cannedslime 6y ago
  I really hate how Google and Facebook have become "Ministries of truth". Especially since they are some of the most agenda ridden, scummy companies in existence. And you can down vote me straight to hell and back for that statement, it doesn't make it any less true.
  • pinopinopino 6y ago
    Me too, makes me want to puke. I hate companies like this.
• lez 6y ago
  If there was a red button that kills the Internet, Google would press it.
  • ABoldGambit 6y ago
    So would I, at this point.
• swiley 6y ago
  Google is behaving pathologically and directly attacking the dialectic. They are quickly becoming one of the most harmful software vendors in the US. Continuing to use their software and services in any way is extremely irresponsible. Deplatform now!
• raphaelj 6y ago
  I had the same issue. I developed a legit and anonymous contact-tracing app [1], and there is no way I can easily distribute it on the app stores as Google and Apple unconditionally ban any app that makes any reference to the current pandemic. [1] https://github.com/RaphaelJ/covid-tracer https://github.com/RaphaelJ/covid-tracer
• orbifold 6y ago
  I used to think the internet was this great place resistant to censorship and government intervention. Instead you now have to tip-toe around and every comment ist tied to your real identity forever. At least I‘m using Apple, so pissing off Google won’t mean I can’t use electronic payments.
• heinrichhartman 6y ago
  This is the result of out-sourcing juristic work to private companies: If we treat Android, Window, Twitter, Facebook, as public spaces/goods, then private companies should not have a say in what is allowed/not-allowed on their platforms. This is work for the courts and police to decide and enforce. If we treat those platforms as private. Then we are playing in s/o's backyard. You are totally at their mercy. They have every right to kick you out if they don't like your face. It's their property. You are a guest. I think we need constituted digital public spaces and platforms with: - democratic footing (users are in charge) - public ownership - division of power (politicians =!= judges =!= police) - effective policing In such a system it would be for independent courts to decide which Apps can be distributed and which not. Those courts would be bound to a constitution/body of law, which applies to all parties a like. Yes, this will be expensive. Yes, you will have to give up some privacy. But you will be a citizen in a society, and not a stranger playing in a backyard. Maybe the current platforms can be coerced into a system which approximates the above. But I have my doubts. I hope in 200years people will have figured this out, and will look back to this age as the digital dark ages.
  • john_minsk 6y ago
    If they want to be private someone will take them to court for advertising drugs or something like that. They should have stayed neutral.
    • heinrichhartman 6y ago
      I agree, that this would have been the better option for them. Now they are stuck with their conent-screening frams, and censoring algorithms. It's a mess. Still. Even if they did take that turn. I don't think they would have stayed truly neutral. Lot's of ways to penalize competition without banning them from your platform. A wolf is a bad shepherd.
    • shadowgovt 6y ago
      If they do nothing, someone will take them to court for promoting false information about COVID-19 that gets someone killed. There is no win-win scenario on policy enforcement when a company gets big enough.
• wolfgke 6y ago
  The author has to blame himself that he is selling his app in the Google Play store. Then, of course, the author is exposed to Google's despotism. Sell the .apk somewhere else.
• mikepechadotcom 6y ago
  I hope Progressive Web Apps will disrupt the App store/Google Play store and will decentralize app distribution again
• VMisTheWay 6y ago
  Good news, it's not Apple, so you can still easily download and install the app. The bad news is Google is acting like Apple.
• vnchr 6y ago
  At what point is this wrongthink under the guise of public safety?
• beshrkayali 6y ago
  This is exactly why we should stop those megalomaniacs at Google (or other) from taking over Podcasting... We don't want to repeat the same RSS mistake again. If you respect and enjoy podcasts, don't use google apps. Edit: my recommendation is AntennaPod. I used to use and love PocketCast until NPR effed it.
• Causality1 6y ago
  May as well remove the fucking Chrome browser while they're at it.
• scarface74 6y ago
  So what’s the problem? HN users always complain about Apple’s “walled garden” and how much better Android is because users can sideload apps. (Note sarcasm)
• pinopinopino 6y ago
  I might be bitter, but I have little love for corporations and their role in the public debate. And I abhor that they play moral compass. Call me a cynic, but that is really beautiful and bold of them. Don't pay taxes, evade worker laws and be cynical enough to proudly present how diverse you are and at the same time let your workers rot in the warehouses (I am looking at you AWS). "Look at the blind, talk to the deaf, listen to the mute and prey on the weak!" seems to be there motto. The quicker multinationals like this are broken up, the better. For me personally, this is another reason to try to not use Google or Alphabet, it is not easy, but not impossible (yet).
• jl2718 6y ago
  That’s fine. Now they are no longer protected by section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
• jlkuester7 6y ago
  Yet another example of the dangers of handing Google a monopoly on Android app stores. If you control the means of distribution, you can control the content of what gets distributed. It is time for some anti-trust action here! In the meantime consumers should support other app stores like https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/. I highly recommend the open source AntennaPod podcast app: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.danoeh.antennapod/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.danoeh.antennapod/
• pcdoodle 6y ago
  What were the offending podcasts?
• tehjoker 6y ago
  This is my favorite app. I even got the paid version with no ads. Is there a way we can continue to support the developer? The app is so good and non-commerical. :-( I definitely agree that these enormous platforms should not be allowed to censor us. It's highly authoritarian that the monopolist owners of huge platforms can just shut off dissenting voices. (After all, what else does it mean to only allow government sources that so often lie as in the case with masks or with the safety of reopening?) In any case, you can't stop the conspiracy theories from being promoted by shutting off podcasts when the president of the US is promoting some of them. News is gonna cover it regardless.
• fjcp 6y ago
  I use Podcast Addict every day, I would even say that is my most used app on android. I work listening to podcasts and PA is the best app for those who like highly customizable software. You can change almost everything. Its sad that we are in a situation where a company can dictate what we can install on our computers/smartphones. I know we can sideload apps on android, but the majority of users doesn't care about this and just give away its freedom to really own the device in exchange for the easiest way to operate it. And every day we walk towards lesser control of our property and more dependency of those companies. Another problem is that developers can, without notice, be locked out of their incomes for whatever reason without ways to properly appeal. Those who can, we should consider supporting the developer Xavier Guillemane on Patreon, at least until this situation gets resolved. The amount of work he put on the app, its probably his main source of income and I wouldn't like if he need to abandon the app development due to this. The lowest tier is just $1.
  • ngngngng 6y ago
    > dictate what we can install on our computers/smartphones Can they though? Android does not make it difficult at all to install apps through stores other than their own Play Store. A quick internet search reveals that there are at least a dozen other options for users to download apps to Android phones. I agree that a devices OS should allow alternative means to install apps, but Android has clearly done this.
    • fjcp 6y ago
      I agree with you on that, Android is far less hostile to installing software outside of the store than iOS. The problem is, if the developer wants its software to reach the wide audience of the platform, its a obvious choice for him to use what the users perceive as the "official way" of installing software. Sure, you can offer both ways, but if your app is missing from the official store, the majority of users won't even know it exists. IMHO we, as users and developers, have our share of the blame for problems like this one, and we should be vigilant so Android doesn't become like iOS.
    • Sevaris 6y ago
• welcome_dragon 6y ago
  Another thread with a different source here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23219438 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23219438 This one seems to make me think that the app itself (or its play store listing) maybe has terms in metadata (to help with searching in the store maybe?)
• blhack 6y ago
  At this point: I wish they’d just take a stronger stance and ban everything they don’t like. Just ban the political party they don’t like, ban anything that speaks out against China, just ban it all. We need to go back to the web, where anybody could install Apache and off they went. Bandwidth is cheap now. BitTorrent exists. I hope google and twitter and Facebook and all the rest just hurry up with all this. Some other ridiculous examples of them becoming the ministry of truth: There was a joke image going around on Facebook saying: “Arizona beaches packed during coronavirus!”. A joke about Arizona not having any beaches because it’s a desert. Facebook censors this and gives you some creepy warning before your allowed to see it. Or how about: there is a doctor from the university of Minnesota who is running a large scale, international, placebo controlled RCT for a potential covid prophylactic. Twitter is censoring his links to find out more about the study. HE IS A DOCTOR RUNNING A STUDY AT A MAJOR UNI, and twitter is telling him he is misinformation. It’s all just disgusting and is exactly what a lot of people feared would happen with these companies.
  • ausbah 6y ago
    ban the political party they don't like?
    • yters 6y ago
      Make their bias really obvious like we have for the major media companies so consumers can make an easy choice.
  • plorg 6y ago
    There is indeed a problem here, and FAANG are being hamhanded and overaggressive in their response, but it's hard to find an overt bias that maps neatly onto the dominant (American?) political cleavage. Much more often (as here), these companies are 1) making decisions in a way that allows them to abstract away and thus ignore the nuances of individual cases 2) putting the burden of implementation on underpaid workers who are not equipped to make these decisions and 3) reacting to any noticeable pushback by moving 200% in the opposite directions. Locating the problem in Political motivations overlooks the economic incentives that monopolies have to 1) lobby/appease the people in power 2) use political opportunity to squelch competition and 3) treat their workers as disposable commodities.
• spians 6y ago
  This "Not approved by Government or Public Health Organizations" rule seems to apply to all the indie apps except for the apps built by mega corps - Twitter app asks users to follow Covid-19 related news as the first item in their home screen after login (and has a separate tab for news related to Covid-19 in Search screen). - Reddit official app asks users to subscribe to /r/Coronavirus (that subreddit is not moderated by any government). - Quora android app has a banner at the top that is similar (follow Coronavirus Space - all the content in that topic seems to be generated by users). - YouTube app currently has a featured video related to Covid on my feed from one of their official Spotlight channels. I'm sure Facebook has something similar to follow news related to Covid. So there's no consistency of banning non-official speech on Covid-19 Also this is not the first time it happened. Same thing happened to - A meme generator app because one of the memes contained word Corona (https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/fn0wzl/app_with_1_million_downloads_suspended_because_of/ https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/fn0wzl/app_with...). - An RSS reader app for showing news related to Covid (https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/ggb3s7/a_week_since_covid_suspension/ https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/ggb3s7/a_week_s...) - A self improvement app that curates articles (https://reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/gem317/our_app_was_removed_from_store_for_covid19 https://reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/gem317/our_app_was_...) And in all of these examples, app seems to be restored after talking to someone at Google. Shouldn't that be the first thing done by the Google play team (before suspending the app) instead of dev losing all the installs and revenue for the time the app is suspended?
  • searchableguy 6y ago
    None of the app stores are fair. Apple charges amazon 2x less for any subscriptions done through the app store. They all reject many indie apps for protecting privacy or security but then all the big apps are allowed to do it. Their apps can access system APIs that are off limit to others. Some people in the comment section only recently feeling the censorship done by china affecting them but imagine other non-US countries that get censored by American companies all the time.
• superkuh 6y ago
  This problem has a simple solution. Don't host your stuff with giant corporations who's only motivation is avoiding conflict and making profit.
  • progre 6y ago
    Asking a non-dev user to manually download and install an APK might be a simple solution, but so impractical that it's almost useless in my opinion.
• JeremyNT 6y ago
  If you are an end user who would like to avoid getting caught in this situation, you might want to switch to using F-Droid [0] as your primary source of Android software. The selection is more limited, but because everything is open source and distributed outside of Google's walled garden, you can be sure that it won't be arbitrarily removed because of the whims of corporate bureaucracy. I write this not as a dogmatic free software proponent, either; I have bought apps on the Play Store in the past and would consider doing so if the experience weren't so poor. Dealing with the Play Store has gotten so frustrating (not just due to this issue, but also due to the difficulty of filtering out shovelware and spyware) that I only reach for it as a last resort now. [0] https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/
  • rjmunro 6y ago
    How does f-droid police "shovelware and spyware"? Or just outright malware? Surely they will remove it? In which case your favourite app might be "arbitrarily removed"?
    • goda90 6y ago
      They try to scan for them, and have reporting options. Its open source apps only, so first, if its removed, then arguments can be made using the full source code as evidence one way or another. And you can always grab the code for your favorite app and build it yourself. https://f-droid.org/en/docs/Anti-Features/ https://f-droid.org/en/docs/Anti-Features/
      • UncleMeat 6y ago
        Open source doesn't change anything here. Bytecode has a extremely tight relationship with source so even if none of the code is open you can still strongly point to specific pieces of code that cause problems. The core issue with detailed explanations of the malicious behavior that trips over automated detection is that it enables malware authors to more easily hide malicious behavior.
    • cxr 6y ago
      F-Droid only carries FOSS. Technically, that wouldn't prohibit a malware vendor from getting their app into the catalog, but like the processes for package repositories for desktop distros, there's a lot of cultural, social, and procedural baggage associated with being the kind of project that gets distributed through those channels. Who's going to go through the effort? The whole point of shovelware is that it's a low-effort process.
• coding123 6y ago
  The have been discussing covid 19 on my radio, fuck I guess that means they are going to impound my car.
• thefounder 6y ago
  If you like appstores you have to like censorship as well. Welcome to the future of the World Not so Wide Web
• fencepost 6y ago
  I haven't seen this mentioned, but if this was the result of an automated process with no human review, do apps from com.google.* have a hardcoded exemption? Is there a low paid outsourced staff somewhere that provides the same exemption function? Are there any examples of Google's automated processes banning any of their own apps (or the entire account....)?
• jgurewitz 6y ago
  This is terrible, I've paid for the paid version for a while and have been a big fan of Podcast Addict.
• RIMR 6y ago
  Good. When private companies see that something they are doing or enabling could lead to preventable human death, they have a responsibility to act on it. If an app in their marketplace is helping spread misinformation about a public health crisis, that app can and should be removed from Google's marketplace. America is a capitalist society. If you're going to do business in Google's ecosystem, you have to follow Google's rules. Google isn't tolerating COVID-19 misinformation, so if you're an app publisher in Google's ecosystem, you should adopt a similar stance. Human life is on the line here. Google is doing the right thing.
  • type0 6y ago
    > Human life is on the line here. Google is doing the right thing. Right thing for their bottom line, you can continue to use Google Podcasts though
• cube00 6y ago
  I'm impressed they actually gave a reason, what happened to "please RTFM for our terms and conditions" and "sorry I have given all the information I have, there is nothing more I can do, appeal denied" Example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23223560 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23223560
• microcolonel 6y ago
  It's sad to see an American company stooping to basically tin-pot levels of disrespect for human rights. Contact the FTC, because this is an example of Google leveraging a non-arms-length arrangement to interfere with and exclude competitors to their own products Google Podcasts and YouTube which directly violate the policy they are applying to Podcast Addict. There is no legitimate business function served by this inconsistent conduct, and it looks like a textbook case of single-firm anticompetitive conduct.
• airocker 6y ago
  Google Anthos is an attempt to do the same with business software? Soon, if you have to list your business software in Anthos store, you will be at mercy of Google.
• fasteddie31003 6y ago
  So would they have banned an app that told people to wear masks when the CDC and WHO said they were not effective? I proudly went against government advice then and plan on doing a lot of things against government advice in the future. This pandemic has highlighted the rot in government institutions.
• bob1029 6y ago
  Given how much corporations pull the strings in America, how far away are we from China's authoritarian policies, especially as they relate to freedom of speech? Other posters have rightfully pointed out that the internet is indeed open and free (for the most part), but good luck getting all of your friends to agree to use your new DIY whatsapp clone. Effectively, everyone who doesn't know how to standup their own website is completely at the mercy of these technology companies now. Furthermore, the channels of communication most people use are now being forced through these tech companies because of recent events. The amount of control sitting under Google at this very moment is sickening. Seriously think about it. If Google went completely AWOL, how much damage could they do to the world? How much control do they actually have over every Android handset and web user experience? I feel we need to start looking at Google in terms of the worst-case scenario, and then start planning policy around that. There is just too much at stake now.
• dang 6y ago
  See also this related Ask HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23221447 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23221447
  • LukaszO 6y ago
    Similar thing happened to me with my game. You can read the story here. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229073 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23229073
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• dmix 6y ago
  This whole industry-wide proactive campaign against misinformation since 2016 has been a disaster. COVID has helped amplified the flaws. The fact this was going to cause an endless amount of false positives negating the wider value proposition should have been obvious since day one. The worst acts by powerful organizations are almost always done under the guise of 'helping people'. Nobody oppresses you for the sake of oppression. They'll do it under the banner of some good intentions. Google shows why merely collecting the smartest minds from around the world in one place is not good enough on its own. They need proper leadership and strong values to guide them ... two things Google has long lacked.
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• typenil 6y ago
  A solid open source phone can't get here soon enough.
• emiliovesprini 6y ago
  Aren't podcasts essentially audio files over RSS? Broke: culture war over general purpose computation. Woke: culture war over general purpose content distribution.
  • leshenka 6y ago
    There are now podcast distribution services where you can host your podcasts and there are several things wrong with them: - as a consumer, I am expected to install every podcast application that hosts podcasts I like. - they usually don't expose RSS feeds because god forbid someone uses a third-party, general-purpose, RSS-based podcast application.
• scep12 6y ago
  Seems like a mistake by an automated system. It's a bummer that there's infrequent mixups like this, but I do wonder what the alternative is. YouTube faces a similarly hard moderation problem. There's nothing they could do to appease even just 90% of criticisms.
• RosanaAnaDana 6y ago
  fdroid
• joshuaheard 6y ago
  It's time to regulate Google, Facebook, and Twitter as Common Carriers. They can control the pipes, but not the content flowing through them, like the phone company.
• Danbana 6y ago
  Apple denied an update for one of my apps because in the What's new text I said "In the quarantine we've learned to make friends with bugs in the home, but in the app they must be CRUSHED" They said "Inappropriate references to the COVID-19 pandemic"
• Thorentis 6y ago
  They should ban Chrome from the Play Store because I can access non-approved Covid-19 content through it. I say this sarcastically now, but web browsers will definitely become tools of censorship in the near future. Chrome itself will start blocking non-approved content. The Internet will no longer allow the distribution of any and all information, but only what is "approved".
• kyrra 6y ago
  (googler, opinions are my own). Looks like the appeal was accepted[0]. As well, Google's SVP of Android/Chrome/ChromeOS/PlayStore apologized to the Podcast Addict team[1]. [0] https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1262541050817605632 https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1262541050817605632 [1] https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1262562502417641473 https://twitter.com/PodcastAddict/status/1262562502417641473
  • kwhitefoot 6y ago
    What action is being taken to prevent similar foolishness in the future? Or is Google leaving their process unchanged in the hope that the next thing to be unreasonably suppressed will evoke less outrage?
    • a9entroy 6y ago
      It's hard to take an action. Google cares about recall right now to avoid liability. In theory it could be easily solved by lowering the threshold which will certainly improve precision. But you know what that will also do? It will lower recall which will just open Google up to litigation or regulation. See what regulation did to YouTube. It's the same reason YouTube has such a weird copyright strike process. Google is not secretly conspiring against YouTube creators like the creators would like you to believe.
• gundmc 6y ago
  Looks like this is finally being sorted out. Tweet from Hiroshi Lockheimer an SVP at Google (which puts him in the top ~12 execs at the company): Apologies to Podcast Addict fans today. We are still sorting out kinks in our process as we combat Covid misinformation, but this app should not have been removed. Carry on with your podcasts, folks! ️ https://mobile.twitter.com/lockheimer/status/1262553369320648704 https://mobile.twitter.com/lockheimer/status/126255336932064...
• plorg 6y ago
  I love Podcast Addict to the point of signing up for Patreon to support Xavier with a monthly donation. I'm all for doing thoughtful moderation to prevent your system being gamed by malign actors, but Google is clearly in the wrong here, and their implied policy of moderating with as few humans as possible means that a standout app is taking fire for a situation it could not possibly be accountable for.
• Pxtl 6y ago
  ... I switched to podcast addict after giving up on Google ever getting their heads out of their own butts on GPM and Google Podcasts. Now they're banning it???
• bitcrazy 6y ago
  I hadn't seen this discussed yet, but how did Google know that Podcast Addict was indexing corona-related content? What was the mechanism that triggered the ban? The developer's twitter said that he didn't include any corona keywords in the play store metadata, nor in the source code. The consensus seems to be that some automated system was too aggressive in banning. My best guess is that the source for the info used to ban PA would be the reviews, i.e. someone posted a review mentioning "great podcasts about corona" or something. But I can't imagine it's that simple, because then I can just put "corona" in any review and get somebody's app banned. Unless Google has some other way of tracking PA's content?
• SquareWheel 6y ago
  Update: https://twitter.com/lockheimer/status/1262553369320648704 https://twitter.com/lockheimer/status/1262553369320648704
• kwhitefoot 6y ago
  I would be quite happy for Google to disappear. I'm beginning to think that anyone who works for it should consult their conscience. Podcast Addict is not only the best podcast client but one of the best apps available. Sorry I don't have anything substantive to add to the conversation, just wanted to add my vote for Podcast Addict.
• lordgrenville 6y ago
  Like others in this thread, I use this app every day. Just a few weeks ago I was thinking about how much benefit I've gotten out of it and decided to get the paid version to give something back. On the rare occasions when I've had issues, my bug reports have gotten quick, friendly and useful responses from Xavier.
• pgt 6y ago
  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).
  • SpaceManNabs 6y ago
    I find point #2 confusing. Doesn't iPhone have stronger restrictions on what can be installed as an app?
• grumple 6y ago
  This is a huge part of the reason why I think we should go with mobile-first web design rather than build native apps that have to go through these stores. I have to build and deploy a mobile app on iOS and Android for work and it's a) a pain in the ass and b) we're at the mercy of these two megacorporations. If you can get by without a separate mobile app, do so. And if you need some functionality, consider pushing for that to be a part of the web standard and contributing to whatever projects can make that functionality accessible through the browsers.
• throwaway55554 6y ago
  So is Google's own podcast app similarly banned? This is really quite pathetic.
• williesleg 6y ago
  Sounds like an antitrust issue to me.
• burnett2k 6y ago
  The main thing I miss from moving to iPhone from android was podcast addict. It was such a good app. Can't find anything near as good for iPhone
• ge96 6y ago
  If we have the app already, it will still work right? Damn that's brutal.
• happppy 6y ago
  #boycottGoogle
• _cs2017_ 6y ago
  Seems like it's back up, with no changes to the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuna.podcastaddict&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuna.po...
  • vipa123 6y ago
    Good news!