Google temporarily swung Element’s Android chat app out of the Play Store this week for allegedly offering offensive content. The decision is particularly surprising, as Element is only a client for the Federal Chat Protocol Matrix and not a service per se. This means that Element can (and does) moderate its own servers, but has no control over what happens on the network that users are connected to.
‘[J]just because Google does not control the content on the internet, Element does not control the content on the Matrix, ”writes Elementary CEO Matthew Hodgson. a blog post Published Saturday.
Google unloaded Element from its app store on Friday without its notice or prior notice and restored the app late saturday evening, Element said. On a Saturday morning tweet, the company said they were reaching out to Google, confirming that the suspension was “due to offensive content somewhere on Matrix.” Element’s developers have filed a “detailed appeal” with Google to try to reverse the suspension, and it seems to have made a difference.
In a blog update, Hodgson said a Google executive had reached out and apologized for Google’s ‘bad communication’. The suspension appears to be related to “extremely offensive content” on the standard Matrix.org home server, managed by Element on behalf of Matrix, which has already been identified and handled quickly by Element’s moderators.
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“We explained how Element and Matrix work, set up a channel for communication about future moderation issues, and expect the app to be restored soon,” Hodgson wrote at the time.
Hours later, he updated the blog to announce that the app was up and running again and thanked users for their patience.
“Thanks also to Google for being transparent and apologetic and the quick fix once we got in touch,” he said.
But even though the app is now back in Google’s Play Store, its sudden disappearance has undoubtedly led to some headaches for the number of businesses, universities and governments, including the UK, America, France and Germany, that Element and the Matrix network usage. . Google previously suspended a third-party client for content beyond its control, such as Android Police notes. In February 2020, Google has banned the popular open-source Reddit client Slide for almost two weeks because a snapshot in the app’s shopping list contains the text ‘ISIS’, as shown in a news-related Reddit post.
Google did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment. The incident with Element comes after Google and Apple both take on the fight Parler‘s app in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol for presenting violent content.
With this keep in mind, it makes sense that Google could let its hackles flare up over content moderation and go a little gratifying these days. And while this approach may be justified in some cases, we must remember that not all programs are bad, and that some actually do their best to fight hateful and violent content.