The tech giant says the removal was done in error.
PragerU received notice on June 7 that its mobile application was suspended and removed from the Google Play store for alleged violations of the company’s hate speech policy.
A Google spokesperson informed The Epoch Times that the app was suspended overnight but was reinstated upon further review.
Google’s hate speech policy states that the company does not allow apps that “promote violence, or incite hatred against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or any other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.”
According to PragerU, the objectionable content Google cited was the platform’s new documentary, “Dear Infidels: A Warning to America,” which features firsthand accounts from individuals who fled oppression of extreme Islamic regimes. The trailer for the short documentary has garnered 42 million views on X.
“According to Google, sharing the stories of a former Palestinian refugee, an Arab Muslim born in Israel, and brave U.S. Navy SEALs who witnessed the horrors of Muslim extremism constitutes ‘hate speech.’ This is a blatant attempt to silence truth and censor speech,” PragerU wrote on a fundraising page launched after the app was removed.
PragerU, founded by talk show host Dennis Prager, promotes conservative values via educational videos. As news spread of the nonprofit’s de-platforming, prominent conservatives took to social media to decry what they believed to be a politically motivated attack.
Prior to the reinstatement of the app, PragerU Chief Marketing Officer Craig Strazzeri said he was unsurprised by the move.
“Google continues to demonstrate how powerful and dangerous they are by censoring ideas they don’t agree with,” Mr. Strazzeri told The Epoch Times in a statement.
“This is truly a David vs. Goliath battle. I think they expect us to just give up and not fight, but little do they know, we at PragerU refuse to be silenced. When it comes to fighting for the values and freedoms that have made this country great, we will never stop.”
Past Challenges
The latest incident is not the first disagreement between the tech giant and PragerU.
PragerU previously sued Google—and its subsidiary YouTube—for restricting more than 200 of the media platform’s videos.
The lawsuits against Google were ultimately unsuccessful, primarily due to the liability protections that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 affords to online service providers.
Section 230 was initially meant to protect such providers from the legal risks posed by content that others publish on their platforms. But in recent years, criticism of the law has emerged due to it serving as an alleged shield for social media and tech companies accused of discriminating against certain users and censoring their content.
The sweeping provision has its defenders and detractors. Those who support Section 230 say it protects private companies’ rights to disassociate themselves from content they do not endorse. Opponents say it allows other users’ free speech rights to be trampled in what has essentially become the public square.
Mark Tapscott contributed to this report.
