The Google Play Store has banned multiple cryptocurrency news applications without providing a warning or reason for the removal.
According to a report by the International Business Times, Google has seemingly targeted the cryptocurrency industry by removing multiple news applications from their store including CoinDesk and Cointelegraph. The news sites, along with several other applications related to bitcoin and blockchain, were made unavailable to Android users as of 2:00 PM EST on Mar. 2.
Cointelegraph, which first broke the news of its ban, claimed Google failed to provide any explanation or prior warning for the sudden removal of its application.
The news site explained,
For Cointelegraph’s part, we have been operating much as we always have, and do not readily have an explanation for why the app is no longer available.
MetaMask, a popular ethereum wallet and decentralized app (DApp) browser, also previously had its application removed from the Google Play Store in December.
Dan Findlay, co-lead developer for MetaMask, told CoinTelegraph,
I very much hope that this was an honest mistake on the part of Google's reviewers, but in combination with all the crypto YouTube bans, it definitely puts me at disease about how Google is engaging with decentralizing technologies.
He continued,
If people accept this behavior from a mobile monopoly like Google, we may not deserve something better.
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