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Google bans Podcast Addict app over non-approved Covid-19 content

(reclaimthenet.org)
1525 points garyclarke27 | 7 comments | 18 May 20 07:37 UTC | HN request time: 0.581s | source | bottom
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ipsum2 ◴[18 May 20 07:53 UTC] No.23219562[source]▶
My favorite (and only) podcasting app. I hope someone who works at Google reads this and flag it internally.

This quote really sums up how ridiculous Google is being:

> What Google is asking of Podcast Addict would be comparable to Google asking a web browser app to remove references to all the websites and social media posts that reference the coronavirus unless the reference comes from an official government entity or public health organization.

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Crosseye_Jack ◴[18 May 20 08:08 UTC] No.23219675[source]▶
> asking a web browser app to remove references to all the websites and social media posts

Except usually a web browser doesn't include a index of sites, You go to a another site (Google/Bing) for that. If a browser does include "recommended sites" the landing pages of those sites best keep to Google's and Apples rules. For an extreme example, If Firefox was promoting PornHub on the new tab page we could understand why Google or Apple would tell them to cut it out, but it doesn't stop you from visiting the site.

I'm not saying I agree with what Google have done here (IMO they should re-instate Podcast Addict), Just that I can see why Google could think "recommended podcasts" and podcast indexes come under the "included content" of an app.

EDIT: As others has said here, It's more like Google banning YouTube because it contains video's about covid 19 which don't come from "approved sources" (Though Google did demonetize people for talking about it and de-rank non "approved sources")

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nisa ◴[18 May 20 08:53 UTC] No.23220019[source]▶
YouTube constantly recommends me COVID-19 conspiracy videos since I dared to watch one that was popular here in Germany. Basically on every video I watch I have now german conspiracy videos as recommendations. I did neither like the video or did I subscribe the channel.

It's beyond fucked up what Google is doing.

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1. pxtail ◴[18 May 20 10:17 UTC] No.23220550[source]▶
If you want to watch something one-off, some interesting tidbit outside of your curated feed then doing it in incognito mode is required, otherwise, as you noted you are doomed.
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2. crottypeter ◴[18 May 20 10:30 UTC] No.23220634[source]▶
If you find it here and delete it, I think it will cease to influence your recommended videos.

https://www.youtube.com/feed/history

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3. koolba ◴[18 May 20 10:43 UTC] No.23220729[source]▶
Alternatively if you’re never logged in and reject all cookies, then you never have this issue at all.

You also get to see just how low the lowest common denominator of society is for the default recommendations.

4. nisa ◴[18 May 20 11:10 UTC] No.23220928[source]▶
Yup. It's just what do these recommendations do to the society? If you are suspectible to believe certain content for whatever reasons you are basically doomed as you get caged into an echo chamber that only validates the bullshit that is fed to you.
5. toofy ◴[18 May 20 14:31 UTC] No.23222746[source]▶
We shouldn’t have to jump through these kinds of hoops. Their recommendation engine is smart enough to discern between a one off video watch and a genuine interest, but youtube gets stuck on recommending conspiracyland videos. It’s at the point where I just ignore the entire section as if it were ads.

I want a tool to work without having to sift through hundreds and hundreds of videos and try to guess which one caused the drift into crazy town.

6. kyteland ◴[18 May 20 14:58 UTC] No.23223153[source]▶
I have YouTube history turned off along with other publicly visible tracking and this kind of nonsense still happens to me. Their algo is working on more data than just what they make visible to the user.

"The only winning move is not to play."

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7. kevin_thibedeau ◴[18 May 20 17:01 UTC] No.23225071{3}[source]▶
You have to evict all Google tracking cookies. Just disabling a few features won't cut it.