Google Play has removed the Malaysian government's 'gay conversion' app

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

The app promised to be able to help LGBT+ people'return to nature,' but it has now been removed from the app store.

 

The Google Play store has withdrawn a Malaysian government-created software that promised to assist the LGBTI community "return to nature" after it was discovered to be in violation of the platform's principles.

The software was first created in July 2016, but it gained new traction after the Malaysian government's Islamic development agency promoted it on Twitter.
It stated that the app would allow LGBTI individuals to return to a state of nature or purity, and that it came with an e-book about a gay guy who "abandoned homosexual behaviour" during Ramadan.

 

"Whenever an app is flagged to us, we review against our Play store regulations, and if violations are found, we take appropriate action to preserve a trusted experience for all," Google stated in a statement when contacted by the Guardian.

Since then, the software has been withdrawn from the Google Play market.
Apps that "try to deceive users or enable dishonest behaviour, including but not limited to apps that are proven to be functionally impossible" are not allowed, according to its guidelines.

A request for comment from Malaysia's Islamic development department was not immediately returned.

 

According to Rachel Chhoa-Howard, a Malaysia researcher for Amnesty International, such information is dangerous and cruel.

"Conversion therapy is a fundamentally biassed and hurtful treatment that can harm individuals who are subjected to it in the long run."
It has been made illegal in a number of nations.
"We demand that Malaysian authorities stop using Hijrah Diri and instead ensure that LGBTI rights are respected and protected throughout the country," she said.

 

Numan Afifi, the founder of the LGBT+ rights organisation Pelangi Campaign, believes Google and other platforms should enhance their content monitoring.
He said that community groups attempting to combat harmful content already face a difficult battle, which includes the threat of surveillance, censorship, and raids on in-person gatherings.

"Now that the general election is approaching, I am confident that the demonization of the LGBT community will intensify, particularly among those seeking conservative votes," he stated.

 

The LGBTI population in Malaysia is subjected to pervasive discrimination, including legislation prohibiting same-sex relationships and non-normative gender presentation.

An app from a US-based organisation called Living Hope Ministries that promoted so-called "conversion therapy" was previously banned from the Google Play market.
In 2019, the app that promised users might "pray away the gay" was withdrawn.