RedPhone Removed from Google Play Store

Cathal (Phone) cathalgarvey at cathalgarvey.me
Tue Nov 11 11:31:18 PST 2014


It's an enduring disappointment to those of us too security/privacy conscious to install Google Play that Moxie refuses to distribute signed APKs through any other channel. It also confuses the heck out of me that someone who makes an app *explicitly* to guard against intermediaries doesn't actually understand why I might distrust Google as much as my network provider.

Anyways, without a Google account Redphone performs very poorly, so I don't use it, but I've got a good network of Textsecure users going based on self-compiled, unmaintained APKs, precisely the outcome Moxie claims Google Play helps prevent. Bad Incentives, I guess.

On 11 November 2014 17:30:09 GMT+00:00, odinn <odinn.cyberguerrilla at riseup.net> wrote:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>Hash: SHA512
>
>Yes, I have an idea.  The US corporation-state is unhappy that people
>can make sexy calls (or any other calls) to each other that the US
>corporation-state is not privy to.  They have complained to Google.
>Someone pulled it from the store.  A debate ensued on whether or not
>that would be appropriate, thus while hot air is being expelled the
>other secure apps remain in Google's Play store.
>
>Nonetheless the apps will remain available elsewhere even if pulled
>from store.
>
>There is a thread related to these issues on twitter which I recommend
>you visit (dated from the time when Google Play had censored
>adblockplus and disconnectme, removing them from the Google Play
>store):
>
>https://twitter.com/AnonyOdinn/status/506325144382341120
>
>Text of the statements which started the thread, my response to it,
>and adblockplus's response:
>
>"ashkan soltani ‏@ashk4n Aug 29
>
>Conflict of interests - Google removes privacy preserving apps
>@AdblockPlus and @disconnectme from Android Play store
>http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/08/28/why-some-privacy-apps-get-blocked-from-the-android-play-store/..."
>
>"@dgouldin @ashk4n Yes, & @disconnectme @AdblockPlus @bitpay +others
>should provide links (to dl client) independent from any website
>service"
>
>"Adblock Plus ‏@AdblockPlus Sep 1
>
>@AnonyOdinn @dgouldin @ashk4n You can grab our APK here:
>https://adblockplus.org/en/android"
>
>
>George W. Maschke:
>> Early today, 11 November 2014, Open Whisper Systems' RedPhone app
>> was removed from the Google Play Store:
>> 
>>
>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.redphone
>>
>>  By contrast, TextSecure remains available:
>> 
>>
>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms
>>
>>  and Open Whisper Systems' iOS app, Signal, remains available:
>> 
>> https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669
>>
>>  Any ideas what may have happened?
>> 
>> George Maschke PGP Public Key: 316A947C
>> 
>> 
>
>- -- 
>http://abis.io ~
>"a protocol concept to enable decentralization
>and expansion of a giving economy, and a new social good"
>https://keybase.io/odinn
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
>
>iQEcBAEBCgAGBQJUYkehAAoJEGxwq/inSG8C284H/0/QI82K1ahaWeRuujP7sasy
>zGnXb5pkr6kTKleTQhRXuXfA1OgDcKXFnrd+FaZKtdzdgnmPM8U5vm/sr8pQ40i/
>YjulJtDmbV3nrR4scp9iAXanabWR8lF/ya8+pUTUfuuHFHhjIdhUNIo448V8rLx/
>gk1MzR76Ba0OWXRh1s9lDEXiYdgw5+/BzP3gIdglKTCif7w5Ky6eApqYY57jmJeL
>pCmhoUymLx7m0ADWCwf6Qbv3WmSgj1bloZF9Y/tNZImp6X1Yn6DWcwmaDkv4dSOT
>omSW7uIRTaeHK5S3gzuUBWLfSbgd2XYs5KYNsbfQHsyIL6xBnmfmzAUhRg8Bm4g=
>=h3Qz
>-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

-- 
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/html
Size: 4711 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.cpunks.org/pipermail/cypherpunks/attachments/20141111/68cde896/attachment-0001.txt>


More information about the cypherpunks mailing list