Google suspended the federated chat app element for hosting abusive content

Google temporarily removed Element’s Android chat app from the Play Store this week for allegedly hosting abusive content. The decision is particularly puzzling given that Element is only a client for the Matrix federated chat protocol 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 connect to.

“[J]because Google does not control content on the web, Element does not control content on the Matrix, ”wrote Matthew Hodgson, CEO of Element. a blog post published Saturday.

Google started Element from its App Store on Friday without warning or notification and restored the app late saturday evening, Says Element. In a Saturday morning Tweeter, the company said it contacted Google and confirmed the suspension “is due to abusive content somewhere on the Matrix.” The developers of Element have submitted a “detailed appeal” to Google in an attempt to reverse the suspension, and it appears to have made a difference.

In a blog update, Hodgson said that a Google executive contacted and apologized for the “miscommunication” on the part of Google. The suspension was apparently related to “extremely abusive content” on the default home server of matrix.org, which Element runs on behalf of Matrix, which had previously been identified and promptly addressed by Element’s moderators.

“We’ve explained how Element and Matrix work, established a communication channel for any future moderation issues, and expect the app to be restored shortly,” Hodgson wrote at the time.

A few hours later, he updated the blog to announce that the app was back up and running and thanked users for their patience.

“Thanks also to Google for their transparency and apologies and the speedy resolution once contact is made,” he said.

But even though the app is now back in the Google Play Store, its abrupt demise has undoubtedly caused headaches for many businesses, universities and governments, including the UK, America, the France and Germany, which use Element and the Matrix network. . Google previously suspended a third-party customer for content beyond its control because Android Police Remarks. In February 2020, Google banned Reddit’s popular open source client for nearly two weeks because a screenshot in the app’s store listing contained the text “ISIS,” as reported in a Reddit post linked to the topicality.

Google did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment. The incident with Element comes after Google and Apple both cracked down Speakfollowing the attack on the Capitol building on January 6 for allegedly harboring violent content.

With that in mind, it makes sense that Google could have its hackers on content moderation and get banned a bit these days. And while this approach may be justified in some cases, let’s remember that not all apps are bad and some really do their best to tackle hateful and violent content.