Mitron App Removed From Google Play Store

Mitron app, which rose to popularity after the TikTok controversy, has been removed from the Google Play Store. Mitron had gained over 5 million downloads in a short period of time. The app was being touted as the Indian alternative to popular Chinese app TikTok.

While it was reported that the app was developed by a team of IITans led by Shivank Aggarwal, the source code of the app was developed by a Pakistani developer.

Google Play Store has a “Spam and Minimum Functionality Policy”. Under this policy, they can take down apps for repetitive content. These can inlude “Copying content from other apps without adding any original content or value” and “Creating multiple apps with highly similar functionality, content, and user experience”.

The Maharashtra Cyber Cell also issued an advisory asking people to uninstall the Mitron app on Wednesday. They have cited a major security vulnerability that leaves users vulnerable to exploitation.

However, neither Google nor Mitron has gone into detail about the reason the app was removed from the Google Play Store. Users that already have the app downloaded will be able to use it but it is recommended to uninstall the app.

Mitron was an exact replica of TikTok and allowed users to create their accounts. It had the similar options to shoot, edit, and share videos through the platform. The word ‘Mitron’ has been highly popularized by Indian PM Narendra Modi. He often uses this word while addressing his audience in India.

Meanwhile, TikTok has fallen in popularity in India. The site was criticized for not monitoring the content that was uploaded. It came under fire when a video by Faizal Siddiqui went viral. Many accused that the video glorified acid attacks on women.