Is the Android Market Becoming Too Regulated?

Two Android app developers removed from the Android Market seems to have galvanized critics calling Google's tactics Orwellian, a report said  today.

Google suspended the accounts of two "high-profile programmers"  for violating terms of agreement, according to Wired.

The offending apps were emulation software for playing console games from different systems, such as PlayStation and Super Nintendo. Not coincidentally, Google pulled these apps at the same time Sony released a PlayStation phone in late May. . . . The removal of these apps is a sign that Googleโ€™s โ€œopenโ€ regime is gradually crumbling, as the Android platform becomes more commercialized and entangled in corporate partnerships.

We fail to see how Google kicking out some developers for violating terms part of a nefarious plot to become Apple's closed system. The whole piece was greatly biased, including adding a quote from an independent developer calling Google's actions dubious. "The biggest offense is that Google pulled these apps with no warning whatever,โ€ Ralph Gootee, a self-proclaimed proponent of the Android platform, told Wired. โ€œIt was a total Big Brother move.โ€

Having read Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell several times, we can say that equating the denial of basic human rights to not allowing every application in the Android Market is probably not an accurate comparison. And wasn't it just a couple of months ago that pundits raked Google over the coals for not having more security measures and vetting in place? The Android market was heavily criticized for "allowing" infected apps to exist --- and the publication leading the charge? Yeah, Wired.

Make your choice for Android wisely:  a completely open platform with possible malware and viruses, or a more controlled and vetted environment with fewer malware attempts and admins that disable accounts when users violate the terms of service. You don't get complete openness and security at the same time.

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