Google has now removed a third-party app available in its Google Play store that TechCrunch reported last week was leading users to child porn-sharing groups on WhatsApp. Several had over 100,000 downloads and, despite being removed, are still functional on devices that had already downloaded them. Despite being owned by Facebook, WhatsApp’s platform is moderated by its own 300 employees, and not by any of Facebook’s 20,000 dedicated security and moderation staff. (TechCrunch)
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Google has now removed a third-party app available in its Google Play store that TechCrunch reported last week was leading users to child porn-sharing groups on WhatsApp. Several had over 100,000 downloads and, despite being removed, are still functional on devices that had already downloaded them. Despite being owned by Facebook, WhatsApp’s platform is moderated by its own 300 employees, and not by any of Facebook’s 20,000 dedicated security and moderation staff. (TechCrunch)
Talking point: The now-removed apps were supported with ads run by Google and Facebook’s ad networks. As TechCrunch points out, the situation reveals that tech giants aren’t just failing to spot offensive content in their own apps, but also in third-party apps that host their ads and that earn them money.
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