Just when we thought that the anti-crypto ban YouTube made recently was a mistake as Google claimed, the technology giant strikes yet again. This time, Google took the banning spree to the Play Store – another extremely popular platform that happens to be the official app store for billions of Android operating system-powered devices across the globe.
As with the YouTube witch-hunt, the ban was focused on crypto apps, leading to the suspension and consequent ban of a popular decentralized crypto app called Metamask. The app, which essentially adds an Ethereum wallet to mobile and desktop browser, was kicked out of the official app store of Android OS for no just cause.
The only reason provided so far is that Google does not authorize apps that allow crypto mining on mobile devices. While we weren’t exactly expecting any concrete reason – I mean, see what happened with the YouTube case – it is, however, outrageous to hear such claim as the app, in no way, promote crypto mining on devices. At least not since some sort of crypto malware was discovered on the app in February.
As a matter of fact, the app is built on the Ethereum network to serve a cryptocurrency wallet on different web browsers; it offers browser extensions for browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Opera Mini, and Brave. Is it the in-built wallet for Ethereum and ERC20-supported tokens that Google confused for crypto mining? I guess we will never know. Unfortunately, it seems that this is exactly what monopoly breeds.
While we wait for Google to get its priorities right, Android users are advised to access Metamask via an extension with any of the supported browsers listed above.
Crypto vs. Goliath?
The Metamask team explains in the tweet above that they are yet working on getting the app back on Google Play. Sadly, no progress has been made yet. Even the appeal got rejected. “If left banned, we will be working on other ways of bringing our services to users still stranded on the Android platform while they migrate to something more free,” the Metamask team affirmed via Twitter. “The story will not stop here, and it certainly won’t stop with the Goliath winning.”
These recent developments on YouTube and Google Play resound the disadvantages of relying solely on a single company or platform. Monopoly, in every sense, is inherently harmful. It is time for diversity. Should Google keep up with this negative energy, we wouldn’t be surprised a new decentralized and censorship-resistant platform could compete even with such a huge tech Goliath.
