In week-long developments, which witnessed an abrupt suspension of the MetaMask browser from the Google play store on 26 December, shut down the speculations after MetaMask has been reinstated after a week. In continuation with the previous tweet, MetaMask retweeted on January 1 that the ban has been lifted and their DApp browser for android mobile users has been reinstated on Google. Just a week back on 26 December, Google abruptly had banned MetaMask’s built-in Ethereum Wallet and decentralized app (DApp) browser meant for the android mobile users from its play store. MetaMask had then expressed its apprehension on twitter.

https://twitter.com/metamask_io/status/1212431777047830528?s=20

After the suspension, MetaMask Co-lead Developer Dan Findlay had commented in despair. He said, “I very much hope that this was an honest mistake on the part of Google's reviewers, but in combination with all the Crypto YouTube bans it puts me at disease about how Google is engaging in decentralizing technologies. If people accept this behavior from a mobile monopoly like Google we may not deserve something better.”

Probable Reasons behind the Suspension
MetaMask had assumed that the reason behind the ban was probably Google’s anti-mining precautionary policy for mobile users. Google had banned the MetaMask for violating its Financial Services Policy.  MetaMask had ruled out any such violations and had alluded that Google might have taken this action following it’s the normal precautionary Web 3 Standards.  It further has appealed to Google to reconsider its action.

Regulatory Measures by the Centralized Platforms
At the year-end, few fraud entities from the crypto industry, lure the users with free bounties and many are thus likely to fall for the fraudulent activities. Hence at the year-end of 2019, Google, as well as YouTube, had adopted a stern policy of culling crypto-related content from their platforms. YouTube had removed crypto-related videos and had banned popular crypto- channels which it reinstated after an uproar. YouTube further claimed it as an error and fallacious step on its part.   

Crypto-Community deliberating for Decentralized Platforms
After these arbitrary actions by Google and YouTube which are centralized platforms, the crypto community is disheartened and furious over their growing censorship measures. Recently Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and Tron CEO and founder Justin Sun have expressed their discontent on twitter and have emphasized the inevitability of the decentralized alternatives for the crypto and blockchain industry. The buzz is spreading and the crypto communities are getting highly vocal for the decentralized content creation alternatives. 

Jayashree Ingle

CBW - External Analyst

INDIA