Google has banned the Infowars Android app from the Google Play Store, the company confirmed Wired on Friday. Google has also confirmed that the app has been removed The edgeand we couldn’t find the Infowars app while searching the Play Store tonight.
The app was apparently removed due to a video by radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that loud Wired“Disputed the need for social detachment, protection and quarantine to slow the spread of the novel corona virus.” Before it was removed, the app had over 100,000 downloads, Wired Reports.
“Fighting misinformation in the Play Store is a top priority for the team more than ever.”
“Fighting misinformation on the Play Store is a top priority for the team more than ever,” a Google spokesman said in a statement The edge. “If we find apps that violate the Play guidelines by spreading misleading or harmful information, we will remove them from the store.” Infowars was not immediately available for comment.
Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James instructed Alex Jones to stop selling Infowars products that were marketed for the treatment or cure of the coronavirus. “[Alex Jones’] The latest falsehoods are incredibly dangerous and pose a serious threat to the public health of New Yorkers and individuals across the country, ”said James in a statement.
Tech companies have also made a public commitment to combat misinformation about corona viruses. Google has set up an “SOS Alert” to search for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which references resources from the CDC and local authorities at the top of the search results. A group of companies, including Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube, said in a statement released on March 16 that they were “fighting fraud and misinformation about the virus together.”
Apple finally banned the Infowars app from the App Store in September 2018, citing the App Store guidelines that prohibit content that is “offensive, insensitive, disturbing, disgusting, or with exceptionally bad taste”.