From the recent trends, it turns out that Google and Bitcoin conflict with interest. Google, which is the giant search engine, is used to dominating the internet since it also owns YouTube and Android. The situation has, however, changed since the introduction of Bitcoin, and Crypto, in general, making Google take an offensive stance.
Bitcoin and the Blockchain in general, have changed the ecosystem by providing a decentralized platform for more transparency provoking Google’s ire. The effects are either direct or indirect.
Google took offense against Bitcoin. This can be seen when Google banned the bitcoin rewards game Bitcoin Blast from the google app store with claims that it used deceptive measures.
Bitcoin Blast is a puzzle game where users get rewarded in the form of Bitcoin. The reward is not directly in the form of Bitcoins but in the form of loyalty points that can be redeemed for Bitcoins. The app has a big following with up to 20,000 ratings and 13,000 reviews. From the 13,000 reviews, it has a rating of 4.5, meaning it is a high performer. Users complained that Google suspended the app without a clear reason or warning. The app is, however, still available on the Apple Play store.
This is not the first time that Google has issues with Bitcoin or Crypto. YouTube, which is owned by Google, banned the most popular bitcoin-related creators on the platform late last year. Subsequent complaints and backlash are what made them reinstated.
Around the same time last year, Google suspended a popular crypto wallet, the MetaMask Crypto Wallet which is Ethereum-based from the play store, before finally restoring it.
The tag of war between Google and Bitcoin made Bitcoin Blast developers warn other developers and crypto businesses from using Google’s platforms for their businesses.
According to Google, they are right to suspend Bitcoin Blast because of deceptive practices though they did not clarify further. Upon further inquiries to Google, they did not give any answers but allowed the developers to reinstate the app to the playstore.
Many Bitcoin and Crypto-related companies have threatened to boycott Google over its recent treatment of the industry.
Google and Facebook who are giants on the internet make their revenue from ads while the crypto space is mostly against ad-funded models. That is where the main conflict of interest comes from.
Currently, Google has partnered with Citigroup to launch “smart checking” bank accounts that will be powered by Google Pay. This has given Bitcoin developers pressure to up their game or their products are phased out.
The rise in the price of Bitcoin and the increase in popularity of crypto is clear that the trends have changed, and we are past the phase where it was only identified with scams, and get rich quick schemes. Google is, however, keen on protecting its users from the false claims, and promises brought about by cryptos.
Image from https://www.flickr.com
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