Disconnect Mobile
Disconnect Mobile (also known as Disconnect.me) is an open source[1] Android and iPhone application developed by the Disconnect.me team (Brian Kennish and Casey Oppenheim)[2] designed to stop non-consensual third party trackers on those platforms,[3] and providing private web search and private web browsing solutions.[4] As of 2015, Disconnect-Search is the default search engine of the security-focused Tor Browser.[5]
Electronic Frontier Foundation compared this app to its own Privacy Badger browser plugin.[3]
The app was banned from the Google Play Store five days after its release in late August 2014. Google cited a violation of its Terms of Service which prohibit developers from using its store "to distribute apps that interfere with or disrupt the services of any third party".[3][6] This, however, attracted criticism from parties such as EFF (and Disconnect itself) which saw this app as privacy-friendly, and argue that Google motivations are primarily based on the fact that this app interferes with ad-based revenue models of numerous companies, including Google itself.[3][7][8][9] The app was restored to the Google Play Store two weeks after its initial banning,[10] before being banned for a second time overnight.[11]
In June 2015, Disconnect filed an antitrust complaint against Google.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ Disconnect. "Online Privacy & Security".
- ↑ Disconnect. "Disconnect".
- 1 2 3 4 "Blocking Consumer Choice: Google's Dangerous Ban of Privacy and Security App | Electronic Frontier Foundation". eff.org. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- ↑ Disconnect. "Online Privacy & Security".
- ↑ "#14490 (Make Disconnect Search the default search engine for Tor Browser alpha) – Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki".
- ↑ Google Bans Disconnect.me App From Play Store Based On Vague Guidelines
- ↑ "Google Banishes Disconnect Mobile App For Interfering with Its Lucrative Business : News : Headlines & Global News". hngn.com. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- ↑ "Why Google Banned Connect Mobile - Business Insider". businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- ↑ "Why Some Privacy Apps Get Blocked From the Android Play Store - Digits - WSJ". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- ↑ "Disconnect Mobile Returns To The Play Store Two Weeks After Google Ban". 2014-09-08.
- ↑ "Disconnect Mobile yanked again from Google Play". 2014-09-09.
- ↑ "Disconnect.Me Files Antitrust Case Against Google In Europe Over Banned Anti-Malware Android App". 2015-06-02.