Social media platform Minds censored by Google, cofounder says censorship is 'fueling the cultural divide'

The free speech social media platform Minds was forced to release an altered version of their platform in order to gain access to the Google Play store, according to a statement from Minds cofounder Bill Ottman.

"Google Play sent Minds a 24 hour warning. Our response app was accepted into the store based on our interim solution and ninja developers, but we had to remove major functionality from that version of the app. We did the same on iOS for obvious reasons," the statement begins.  

"What is happening on the internet with major providers is fueling the cultural divide as much as anything," it continues.

Minds is a pro-free speech alternative to Facebook, with several original functions included. Following the siege of the Capitol building on Jan. 6, Big Tech has cracked down hard on alternative communications platforms, namely Parler, Gab, and now Minds.

"We had to remove search, discovery and comments. I know. We aren't happy and will be working towards something better," the statement continues.

"We will be releasing a full report on our plan for fully censorship-resistant infrastructure. For those asking about Amazon, don't worry, we have multiple escape pods ready to go."

The the companies that host these alt-tech platforms such as Amazon and Google are making it very difficult for them to exist or be accessible by the public.

Parler went down indefinitely after being blocked by Amazon and removed from both Apple and Google app stores.