Google Play has delisted UpScrolled, the “censorship-resistant” social media app founded by Issam Hijazi, following its rapid growth to over 2.5 million users and its brief stint as a top-ranked alternative to TikTok.

While the app remains available for existing users, Google has not provided a specific reason for the removal; UpScrolled’s team confirmed they are working with the Play Store for reinstatement while maintaining their commitment to unfiltered content.

This development follows the app’s rapid ascent in popularity, particularly amid concerns over content moderation on competing platforms like TikTok.

    • fortnitefinn@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      This is what Google does. They censor content and keep it gone as long as there isn’t a sufficient retaliation.

      It’s what they did to remove AdNauseam from their addon repository. The only difference is nobody fought back so it remains gone to this day without justifiable reason.

    • ben@lemmy.zipEnglish
      61·
      14 hours ago

      The more I work for tech companies the more I genuinely end up believing that stuff like this being removed is in fact just incompetence at least 50% of the time

      • fortnitefinn@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        1 hour ago

        I work in tech too, and I’m convinced almost none of these abusive tactics are the result of incompetence.

        The abuse is the point. They need to constantly remind people who is in charge.

      • BreadstickNinja@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        13 hours ago

        A lot of companies seem to automatically delist things that get mass reported, which makes them subject to interference by armies of paid or unpaid trolls. Hopefully the issue gets corrected but this seems to happen more and more frequently.