Google Play bans open source Matrix client Element, citing “abusive content” [Updated]
The latest app to catch an illogical ban from the Google Play Store is Element, an open source, end-to-end encrypted messaging client for the federated Matrix chat protocol. Google banned Element late Friday night, a ban that Element said "is due to abusive content somewhere on Matrix." Matrix has millions of users, and as a federated chat protocol, Element does not control the content on Matrix, so this is a bit like banning a Web browser for displaying Web content. Element says it is working with Google to "explain how Element works and get the situation resolved."
Google has been cracking down on apps that display hateful content, but Element says that it shouldn't be part of the crackdown. "We have also explained that the Matrix servers that we do run as Element (including the default Matrix.org homeserver, which we run on behalf of The Matrix.org Foundation) have strict Terms of Use which we actively enforce," Element said. "We abhor abuse, and Element is not an app that caters to abusive content."
Element says it has a full-time team dedicated to handling abuse reports.
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