The Infowars app has been removed from the Play Store. Originally booted from the iOS App Store back in 2018, the Android version had remained available through Google's app venue until today. It was removed to combat the spread of harmful misinformation included in the app which pertained to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (popularized as "coronavirus"), which is against Google's developer policies.

A recently-published video in the Infowars app claimed that efforts to diminish the spread of coronavirus, including practices such as social distancing, shelter in place, and quarantining, were ineffective, and that "natural" remedies to treat the disease existed.

Google has taken a hard stance when it comes to the spread of coronavirus falsities, making it abundantly clear it won't allow the Play Store to be a vehicle for the spread of misinformation. (Although Infowars also violated the company's rules regarding hate speech on the Play Store for years, those offenses don't appear to be the cause for its removal in this case.) In a follow-up statement to Wired, the company reiterated its position regarding misinformation:

"Now more than ever, combating misinformation on the Play Store is a top priority for the team. When we find apps that violate Play policy by distributing misleading or harmful information, we remove them from the store."

The removal from the Play Store follows Infowar's suspension from several other platforms in recent years, including YouTube (twice), Twitter, Facebook, and Apple's App Store.

Source: Play Store

Via: Wired