**Google removes negative reviews of tracker exposing Uyghur forced labor**
**New York, United States**
**March 24, 2023**
Google has been accused of censoring negative reviews of a labor abuse tracker app that highlights the use of forced labor in the production of goods in China’s Xinjiang region.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Tracker was developed by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and launched in March 2022. The tracker allows users to scan product barcodes and see if they are made by companies that are linked to forced labor in Xinjiang.
Since its launch, the tracker has been downloaded over 100,000 times and has been used by consumers, businesses, and governments around the world to make more informed purchasing decisions.
However, in recent months, Google has been removing negative reviews of the tracker from its Google Play store. Several users have reported that their negative reviews were removed without explanation.
One user, who gave the tracker a one-star review, said that her review was removed within hours of posting it. She said that her review simply stated that the tracker was not working properly and that she had not been able to scan any products.
Another user, who gave the tracker a two-star review, said that his review was removed after he criticized the tracker’s user interface.
ASPI has condemned Google’s actions, saying that they are an attempt to silence criticism of the tracker and to protect companies that are linked to forced labor in Xinjiang.
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