Google Eliminates Sugar Dating Apps From Play Store
Contributed by: kellyseal on Wednesday, August 18 2021 @ 11:18 am
Last modified on Wednesday, August 18 2021 @ 11:26 am
Google is cracking down on so-called “sugar dating” apps in its Play Store, and will shut them down as of September 1st.
The search engine behemoth has carried dating apps that offer “compensated sexual relationships” in its store, but in the push to crack down on these potentially exploitative apps, the company has now issued a strict policy for its store. Google is making other safety and security changes too, including a new initiative to shut down inactive developer accounts, according to The Verge.
Google made the announcement without specifying why it’s taking these actions now, but The Verge[*1] points out that it could be related to the FOSTA-SESTA legislation which was enacted in 2018, “which removes Section 230 protections for content that ‘promotes or facilitates prostitution.’” There has been a recent crackdown on platforms that deal in online sex work.
A recent report by Yahoo! also indicated that sugar daddy/ sugar baby relationships have been on the rise, as young men and women who are financially struggling look to earn some extra cash for school, rent or other expenses look to older, wealthier benefactors for financial help.
Sugar dating is a term to describe relationships between older, wealthy people showering gifts on younger, less financially secure people with the expectation for sexual favors, though none of these apps specifically state that in their services for legal purposes. The term “sugar daddy” has been around for a while, long before apps, so the concept is not new, but it has been monetized and exploited by some dating platforms, who attract users by advertising “wealthy” clients and matching them with younger, attractive members.
Google’s terms and conditions already included language that prohibited apps that “may be interpreted as providing sexual acts in exchange for compensation,” but the updated language is more specific to sugar dating apps.
The new terms are explicit, prohibiting “apps that promote sex-related entertainment, escort services, or other services that may be interpreted as providing sexual acts in exchange for compensation, including but not limited to compensated dating or sexual arrangements where one participant is expected or implied to provide money, gifts, or financial support to another participant (‘sugar dating’).”
Google has also said it will crack down on inactive developer accounts as well, specifically those who have not signed into the Play Store or uploaded an app over the course of twelve months. These developers will get a series of warnings before being shut down.