Aarogya Setu link: Google Play Store removes MobiKwik, reinstates later
by BusinessToday.InThe payments and digital wallet app was removed by Google over violation of its ads policy
UPI payment and digital wallet app MobiKwik was restored after a few hours of being taken down by Google from Play Store on Thursday. The payments and digital wallet app was removed by Google over violation of its ads policy. The app failed to comply with the developer programme policies that disallow apps with deceptive or disruptive ads, Google had earlier said in an email to developers of MobiKwik.
Reacting to the development, Bipin Preet Singh, MobiKwik, CEO, claimed that the ad in question was related to Aarogya Setu. The wallet app was removed from Play Store by Google because it carried a link to it, he added. "Hey @GoogleIndia @GooglePlay you removed @MobiKwik app from play store because we had a link to Aarogya Setu app. We were asked to do this by regulators (@RBI ) and understand it's in public health interest. You have too much power!," Singh tweeted.
In 2018, Google removed ads from 1.5 million apps and nearly 28 million pages that violated publisher policies.
Meanwhile, amid security concerns over Aarogya Setu, the government has recently made the source code of the app open for developers. Aarogya Setu was launched by the central government on April 2 to help people identify the risk of contracting coronavirus by using bluetooth and location features. The people can also use the app to alert authorities if they have come in close contact with a person infected with the deadly virus. The app is available in 11 languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Kannada, among others.
The app is designed in such a way that it keeps a user informed in case she or he has crossed paths with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.
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