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Ars Technica
Ars Technica
@arstechnica@mastodon.social  ·  activity timestamp last week

Apps like Grok are explicitly banned under Google’s rules—why is it still in the Play Store?
Google describes apps exactly like Grok and says they are banned from Google Play.
https://arstechnica.com/google/2026/01/apps-like-grok-are-explicitly-banned-under-googles-rules-why-is-it-still-in-the-play-store/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

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Sorry, no caption provided by author
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Ars Technica

Apps like Grok are explicitly banned under Google’s rules—why is it still in the Play Store?

Google describes apps exactly like Grok and says they are banned from Google Play.
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Omnivore
Omnivore
@Ralph@hear-me.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica

ALT TEXT:

A smartphone shows Ani, a virtual anime-style assistant character featured in the Grok 4 AI chatbot developed by xAI. Credit: Cheng Xin / Contributor | Getty Images News

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Dаn̈ıel Раršlow 🥧
Dаn̈ıel Раršlow 🥧
@pieist@ohai.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica

I'm glad someone like Ars Technica is saying it. It makes it harder for Google to pretend not to have heard.

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Alex
Alex
@depereo@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica because the head of google is good friends with his CSAM-creating peer. Perhaps they spend the evenings together enjoying the latest images.

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Nicole Parsons
Nicole Parsons
@Npars01@mstdn.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica

They are still in play on the Google store because the fossil fuel industry owns & operates tech.

#PrinceBonesaw, OPEC, and Koch Network run this operation to increase societal dysfunction & make money off it.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-05-13/trump-mbs-tout-1-trillion-saudi-deal-commitment

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-06/google-thiel-stand-out-in-saudi-prince-s-silicon-valley-tour

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/wall-street-mbs-saudi-al-rumayyan/

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/saudi-prince-mbs-silicon-valley-east-palo-alto-12799624.php

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2140923/saudi-prince-meets-google-executives-sergey-brin-and

https://humanrightsfirst.org/library/welcoming-mbs-undercuts-u-s-values-and-security-human-rights-first-warns/

South China Morning Post

Saudi Crown Prince meets Google execs during Silicon Valley visit

Prince, keen to set up tech hub in his kingdom, also held talks with Apple’s Tim Cook, Magic Leap’s Rony Abovitz and Virgin’s Richard Branson during US trip
SFGATE

Saudi Crown Prince expected in Silicon Valley for meetings with Apple, Google execs

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet with the Bay Area's top tech leaders...
The Nation

Wall Street Embraces MBS’s Money Man

After the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, business leaders made a show of shunning Saudi Arabia, doing deals only behind closed doors. Now it’s all out in the open.
Bloomberg.com

Google, Thiel Feature in Saudi Prince's Silicon Valley Tour

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wrapped up a whirlwind tour of technology titans on Friday, part of a three-week U.S. visit focused on economic opportunities to diversify the oil-rich nation.
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Urzl
Urzl
@gooba42@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica Because who commits the offense will always be more important to the entrenched power structure than what offense is committed.

That's how fascism and its adherents always behave.

Google, Apple, Meta, OpenAI... Who else paid Trump's tribute? They are intentionally complicit in ways large and small.

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Kevin Russell
Kevin Russell
@kevinrns@mstdn.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica

So Musk can identify and blackmail twitter users who make child sexual assault materials, and force them to crime for the billionaires.

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Spirit
Spirit
@Spirit@cybernetic.monster replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica what a derpy question to ask as a journalist.

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Pierce
Pierce
@Pi@infosec.exchange replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica saw and reported this ad on YouTube, Google/alphabet said it didn't break any of their rules.

A disgusting advert on YouTube. It shows a young female with a cursor over her and the text erase anything. The next photo shows the area the cursor highlighted having the clothing removed.
A disgusting advert on YouTube. It shows a young female with a cursor over her and the text erase anything. The next photo shows the area the cursor highlighted having the clothing removed.
A disgusting advert on YouTube. It shows a young female with a cursor over her and the text erase anything. The next photo shows the area the cursor highlighted having the clothing removed.
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shadowwwind
shadowwwind
@shadowwwind@fosstodon.org replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica there also used to be a rule that apps names need to be at least two characters. Rules change when you are a big company like X Inc

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Lee 🌏
Lee 🌏
@MrLee@aus.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica
Because Grok and Google are working together with the Trump admin to destroy democracy.

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HTPC NZ
HTPC NZ
@htpcnz@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica so Apple have banned it from app store already? I guess not getting invited to next iOverpricedJunk launch isn't great for conde neste bottom lines.

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FurryBeta
FurryBeta
@FurryBeta@shark.community replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica Money talks

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Pseudonymous :antiverified:
Pseudonymous :antiverified:
@VictimOfSimony@infosec.exchange replied  ·  activity timestamp last week

@arstechnica

They're a major competitor in the #AI space so I presumed this was to avoid accusations that they were being #Anticompetitive by banning #Grok. shrug_akko

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