Google has removed Parler, a popular communication app by Trump supporters, from the Google Play Store, making it very difficult for Android users to download and access the app.
Google's statement demanded that social media apps have content rating policies that remove posts that promote violence, and that Parler's posts encouraged more violence in the wake of the Capitol riots earlier this week.
App deletion comes as violence in the U.S. Capitol By Trump supporters on Wednesday that left five people dead have revived calls for telecommunications and technology companies to scrutinize their platforms, especially when it comes to calls to incite violence.
Twitter permanently blocked President Donald Trump's account on Friday because he felt Trump's latest tweets incited violence, while Facebook barred Trump from posting the inauguration later this month.
Screenshots of the Parler app seen by CNBC users show users sending clues to shooting groups, as well as calls to bring weapons to the president's wake later this month. In a statement, Google said it had warned the app about its content rating policy earlier this year.
Parler was launched in 2018, and emerged earlier this year as a pro-Trump alternative to Twitter with limited content ratings. "We are a public city square, an open city square, without restrictions," Parl chief executive John Matze said in June. "If you can't say it on New York Street, you can say it in Parlor."
The Google Play Store is not the only way to install apps on Android phones. Users have the option of other in-app stores, or a process called side-by-side loading, which manually installs software without logging into the app store.
The Parler app will not be removed from users' phones, and is still accessible on the web, even if the website had a upload problem on Friday.
Parler did not immediately return a request for comment about the removal of the app store on Friday. Matse, Parler's manager, posted on his social media account a message from Apple on Friday suggesting that Apple plans to remove the app from its iPhones store. Apple's representative did not immediately comment.
Here is the full Google statement:
“In order to protect user safety in Google Play, our long-term policies require that apps displaying user-generated content to have policies of moderation and enforcement that remove harmful content such as posts that promote violence. All developers agree with these terms and we remind Parler of this clear policy in recent months. We are aware of the ongoing deployment of the Parler app which seeks to promote ongoing violence in the US a strong balance of amazing content. Due to these ongoing and urgent public safety threats, we are suspending app listing from the Google Play Store until it addresses these issues. ”
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