Ok, before I go on my rant about this I will start by saying that I can understand their position and can respect Verizons decision to do this. That doesn’t mean I agree with it though.
Verizon is a cell company just like any other. When you purchased your device and service plan with them, you signed a terms and conditions agreement. As a provider they have a lot of power over how you can actually use your phone and what you can install on your phone. Â With Android being such an open platform there are plenty of applications you can get your hands on that, technically, violate your T&C’s. In a move to help customers do the right thing, Verizon is now blocking apps in the market that they deem unacceptable or T&C breakers. Many customers have been reporting this situation arising on one particular app, Easy Tether, which allows you to tether your device via USB to your PC for Internet sharing for a price of $9.99. It comes as no surprise that Verizon doesn’t want you to use a third party app to sneak past their system and tether your device with out paying extra for the service. What is a customer supposed to do who paid for the app and can’t update it?
We all have run the tethering argument into the ground a thousand times or more over the last few months. We don’t want to turn this new information into a tethering discussion. Rather I would like to turn it into a discussion on Verizons actions and abilities to easily block an app on their network in the market. If they were able to lock down the ability for you to update your purchased application via the Android Market so easily, how long before they block any app they don’t feel is acceptable on their network? Could this be the first of many applications you will see blocked in the future?
Source: Droid-lifeÂ
