In an unprecedented move an Argentine courthas ordered Google to “uninstall” pirate IPTV service MagisTV App on Android devices, reports Torrent Freak.
In addition to blocking 69 domains associated with the service, the court has ordered Google to “immediately uninstall” Magis TV apps from Android devices. This measure targets apps that users have sideloaded, as MagisTV is not available on the official Google Play store.
Blocking websites that host pirate content is nothing new, but ordering Google to uninstall Apps from consumer devices is a game changer.
In instructions to Google, Argentinian judge Rossignoli said that the company must “adopt the necessary technical means to immediately uninstall from Android systems that report IP addresses in the territory of the Argentine Republic (which can be verified by the IP addresses assigned to this country), the application named Magis TV.”
Commenting on the instructions to Google, Argentinian prosecutor Musso acknowledges that “this has never been done before” but defends the unprecedented measure as entirely necessary.
“What was achieved is an unprecedented court order, which is in the process of being analyzed by Google – we understand that they cannot deny it – which is to uninstall, through the Android operating system update, the application on all devices that have an IP address in Argentina,” Musso said.
“We understand that this measure will be replicated immediately by many countries that have this same type of problem,” Musso continued.
“What will be achieved once this is completed is that the installed app disappears and cannot be downloaded again, thus breaking the cycle of digital piracy. The only way [Magis TV] could circumvent this is to develop a new app where we would be waiting for them, ready to do exactly the same thing once we identify it.”
Google is yet to respond tom this ruling In public, it is also not known if Google will challenge this court order.
