Google is apparently taking down all/most fediverse apps from Google Play on the grounds that that some servers in the fediverse engage in hate speech.

submitted by happysmash27 from qoto.org

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[–][deleted] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I love how companies like Google benefit from just being hosts for content, and then don't extend that same courtesy to services through google that just host content. Congress really needs to fucking put some big goddamn contingencies on that. Namely, grandfathering. If a company claims to simply be a host, and therefore not liable, it should not be allowed to prune its content either.

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

You too can boycott Google: https://f-droid.org/

[–]happysmash27[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I am very happy Android supports alternative app stores even on the low-end non-rooted phones, and am glad that I had installed the fediverse apps I use from F-Droid in the first place. It is a very good app repository indeed, and very good for sorting through all the proprietary malware to only the good free/open source apps. Like the SaidIt app, for instance! Thank you very much for releasing it on F-Droid :) .

[–]asterias 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

https://reclaimthenet.org/f-droid-bans-gab-app/

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I guess no one has forked FDroid yet? I spent about 10m looking and couldn't find anything.

[–]asterias 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I have seen people recommending APK Pure, Aptoide and G-Droid. But I guess the Linux phone will solve this once for all.

[–]SaidOverRed 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Let's parse this honestly, without changing any of it's meaning. I'm purposely keeping it literal to show how ridiculous it actually is: Google says "We don't allow apps that ... incide hatred against individuals or groups based on ... any other characteristic that is associated with marginalization."

Every conservative on the internet's response: https://youtu.be/lhckuhUxcgA

[–]wrongthink 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

So ban all browsers when?

[–]VirgilGriff 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You'd better fucking believe that if the Web were created by corporate powers today, it'd be a walled-garden minefield of censorship where every web request goes through a central server to determine whether you have the permission and credits to view it.

[–]asterias 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

So f-droid started selectively removing certain apps and instances and now google removes all of them. Can't say I feel sorry for f-droid, which I would avoid like the plague anyway.

[–]FediNetizen 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

For those of you wondering what the fediverse is, it's a decentralized network of micro-blogging, video streaming, and other services that can all talk to each other. Anyone can create their own instance if they feel like it; there's no central gatekeeper.

Because these apps let you connect to any service, just like a browser does, Google has apparently decided to block them on the grounds that they could be used to access "hate speech".

If you're wondering if you should check it out, the answer is almost certainly yes. Being decentralized means it's censorship resistant. Individual instances can block other instances as they see fit, but any instance is free to decide who they connect with.

If you're interested in a free speech fediverse instance, there's stuff like FreeSpeechExtremist.com. There's also theres.life for Christians, mathstodon.xyz for math lovers, mastd.racing for motosports lovers, as well as a million different hobby/interest-focused instances, a list of some of which you can find here.

[–]happysmash27[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The Reddit thread I found out about this from may also be of note. It also links to a Hacker News thread on the same topic.