Cryptocurrency industry continues to battle the increasing regulatory pressure, and the ripple effects of this pressure continue to put users in a more difficult position. Following lawsuits against cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance and Coinbase, similar steps have started to come from leading technology giants. Apple is preparing to remove a popular cryptocurrency application from the App Store.
Attention-Causing Bitcoin App Decision from Apple
Damus is known as a Bitcoin (BTC) payment platform with a significant user base. However, Apple seems to be unhappy with the situation and a tough move against the app is underway. It has been notified to the app administrators that Damus will be removed from the App Store within 14 days. It appears that Apple, stating that content creators can sell their digital content using these apps, will remove the BTC payment app from its platform.
The Damus team emphasized in their statement about the issue that this event occurred just before their speeches at a conference in Oslo, where they will emphasize the necessity of decentralized social media networks. Damus app, which can send even very small amounts with very low transaction fees through Bitcoin-focused Lightning integration, had set out with the goal of bringing financial freedom to the masses. However, Apple’s step against Damus just before the conference where “decentralization” will be emphasized was found “suspicious” by the app administrators.
Apple Continues Censorship
Damus does not sell any products directly through the app. The app actually prepares the ground for peer-to-peer transactions, similar to Venmo or CashApp. Despite this, Apple’s move is similar to its previous censorship-like decisions. It is known that Apple receives a commission of about 30% from many applications, and here, no commission can actually be taken from Damus transactions. This could be another reason for Apple.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have faced and continue to face serious censorship both on the App Store and Play Store. Users are very reactive to this latest decision, and it is evident that many leading accounts on Twitter are expressing their reaction to this.
