Google has announced that it flagged several apps made by Pinduoduo, a Chinese e-commerce giant as malware, according to TechCrunch.
The announcement aims to alert users who had the apps installed. It also suspended the company's official app.
The past few weeks, the eCommerce giant had receives several accusations by several Chinese security researchers of making Android apps that contain malware designed to monitor users.
The off-play versions of the app have been found to contain malware enforced on via Google Play Protect. Google has set Google Play Protect to block users from installing malicious apps and warn those who have them installed already. It also prompts users who already have the apps to uninstall them.
Investigation is still underway, yet the Pinduoduo app is suspended on the Play Store.
Keep in mind that Google Play is not available in China and the malicious apps were present on the custom app stores of the phone manufacturers, like Huawei, Oppo, Samsung, and Xiaomi.
Google has been under the microscope from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for a while now. The CCI is investigating Google's alleged anti-competitive practices in relation to its app store, Play Store.
In light of this investigation, Pinduoduo was suspended on the Play Store and other custom app stores like Huawei, Oppo, Samsung and Xiaomi were also affected by it as well.
To comply with these new rules set forth by CCI, Google will be allowing Indian customers another option when making in-app purchases starting April 26th 2023 - they can use an alternative payment method apart from using their credit cards or debit cards through Google Pay.
This would give more freedom to consumers who do not have access to traditional banking channels such as online payments services or UPI systems etc., helping them make digital transactions quickly without having any issues around availability or pricing transparency that sometimes comes into play because of regional differences between countries/regions where certain popular payment methods are available but unavailable elsewhere respectively.
Also read: Google Bard AI Early Access is Coming to Pixel Superfans
China in Hot Water with the US
China has been in hot waters in the US due to the recent trade war and the Biden administration's hard stance against the country. This has led to a number of Chinese companies being restricted or blacklisted from trading in the US.
The US government has imposed restrictions on Chinese tech companies such as Huawei and ZTE, citing security concerns. It has also begun to investigate other Chinese technology companies, including Pinduoduo, for potential antitrust violations.
The increased scrutiny and restrictions imposed by the US on Chinese tech companies have made it difficult for them to succeed in the US market. As a result, many Chinese tech companies are looking for alternative markets to expand into, such as India and Southeast Asia.
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