News & reports
Our research and writing on app censorship since 2020 — country studies, removal analyses and the reports behind them. Articles are published in the language they were written in.
2024
Navigating India’s App Regulation and Digital Censorship
India’s mobile ecosystem is booming, but with it comes increased government regulation and censorship. The balance between national interests, user privacy, and freedom of expression is under…
The AppCensorship Project: Unveiling Global Censorship in Mobile Stores
GreatFire proudly announces its ambitious new initiative, the AppCensorship Project. Launched in October, this project is dedicated to promoting digital freedom and challenging app censorship on…
GreatFire Launches GoogleCensorship.org to Expose Censorship Practices in Google Play Stores Worldwide
GreatFire, an organization dedicated to combating online censorship and promoting freedom of information, is proud to announce the launch of its newest initiative, GoogleCensorship.org, today…
Why We Must Better Scrutinize Figures Provided by Big Tech
In a development that has thrust the contentious terrain of platform governance into the spotlight, Google recently announced it will purge low-quality Android apps next month to improve the Play…
Damus: A Decentralized Social Network’s Battle Against Censorship
Damus, a decentralized social networking app powered by the Nostr protocol, was removed from China’s App Store by Apple on February 2, 2023, just two days after launching, due to directives from the…
A Comparative Study on the Global Availability of VPN Apps in Apple’s App Stores and Google’s Play Stores
Introduction VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, are essential tools for individuals in authoritarian contexts, enabling them to bypass censorship and protect their anonymity through encrypted…
Encrypted Email App Tuta Fights to Empower User Privacy
When the EU implemented the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to foster innovation and competitiveness, AppleCensorship called Apple out for its minimal compliance efforts. Apple’s implementation of…
Google censors boycott app, for alleged “misinformation”
UPDATE: As of March 30, it appears that Google has permitted the Boycat app to be reinstated on the Play Store. Neither Google nor the developers of Boycat have disclosed specifics about the…
Article 23 to further curb the remaining freedom of Hong Kong
The public consultation period ends today for the controversial Article 23 in Hong Kong. AppleCensorship.com talked to law expert Eric Lai earlier this month about the human rights impact of National…
Navigating App Censorship: Impact on Journalism in Tibet
GreatFire’s recent initiative with its AppleCensorship project delves into the perspectives of developers, end users, and other stakeholders affected by app censorship. In exploring the real-world…
