Google, stop unjustified attacks on the 2GIS geo service!
Google, stop unjustified attacks on the 2GIS geo service!
The Issue
Starting January 10, 2024, users of the 2GIS Android app began receiving messages from the Google Play Protect system, indicating that the program is considered malicious and should be removed. The reason is that the application is trying to access personal data: location, contacts, call log, SMS, microphone and gallery. These messages mislead millions of users in various countries, preventing them from utilizing the service to which they are accustomed.
2GIS is a detailed city map and a business directory that is used by about 70 million people monthly in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other CIS countries, as well as in the UAE.
For many people, 2GIS has become their best friend when it comes to finding something in the city or building a convenient route. And for those who come to a new city or country – including people who were forced to leave home against their will – 2GIS is completely irreplaceable, because it is difficult to find an alternative in terms of data accuracy and ease of use.
The warning from the Google Play Protect is, to put it mildly, quite strange. 2GIS always requested permission to access contacts, gallery, microphone, and so on – this is necessary for the full functionality of the application. However, this did not seem illegal to Google's security system before. Some media conducted independent investigations and found that “the application is not malicious” (the original text is in Russian). Still this is not an argument for Google for some reason.
Since May 2023, the 2GIS application cannot be installed on smartphones through Google Play. For some unknown reason, Google removed it, citing sanctions that had never been imposed on 2GIS. The program has been freely available on Google Play for many years without any previous concerns. This attitude of Google towards an application that is older than Google Maps and which has always had a good reputation among users calls into question the objectivity and validity of its decisions.
We demand that Google stop terrorizing 2GIS users with unconfirmed alerts, and also return the 2GIS application to Google Play.
1,000
The Issue
Starting January 10, 2024, users of the 2GIS Android app began receiving messages from the Google Play Protect system, indicating that the program is considered malicious and should be removed. The reason is that the application is trying to access personal data: location, contacts, call log, SMS, microphone and gallery. These messages mislead millions of users in various countries, preventing them from utilizing the service to which they are accustomed.
2GIS is a detailed city map and a business directory that is used by about 70 million people monthly in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other CIS countries, as well as in the UAE.
For many people, 2GIS has become their best friend when it comes to finding something in the city or building a convenient route. And for those who come to a new city or country – including people who were forced to leave home against their will – 2GIS is completely irreplaceable, because it is difficult to find an alternative in terms of data accuracy and ease of use.
The warning from the Google Play Protect is, to put it mildly, quite strange. 2GIS always requested permission to access contacts, gallery, microphone, and so on – this is necessary for the full functionality of the application. However, this did not seem illegal to Google's security system before. Some media conducted independent investigations and found that “the application is not malicious” (the original text is in Russian). Still this is not an argument for Google for some reason.
Since May 2023, the 2GIS application cannot be installed on smartphones through Google Play. For some unknown reason, Google removed it, citing sanctions that had never been imposed on 2GIS. The program has been freely available on Google Play for many years without any previous concerns. This attitude of Google towards an application that is older than Google Maps and which has always had a good reputation among users calls into question the objectivity and validity of its decisions.
We demand that Google stop terrorizing 2GIS users with unconfirmed alerts, and also return the 2GIS application to Google Play.
1,000
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on January 12, 2024