Google to clean up Android Market

Powered by Google’s Android operating system, the T-Mobile G1 has been winning plaudits from users and reviewers alike. However some users have been unhappy at the nature of content to be found lurking in the comments section of the Android Market, a repository of applications users can download to their phones.

Despite the mobile operator enforcing an opt-out content lock on content viewable from their handsets which blocks sites such as the National Lottery and T-Mobile’s own YouTube powered support page, there is no way for users to filter or avoid the often crude comments left by application users.

That seems to be about to change, with Google promising changes which will make browsing the Market a more positive experience.

A spokesman told this site they were “taking this seriously” and have already taken several steps to to eliminate inappropriate comments. The Google spokesman said they “have been aggressively taking down offensive comments” since early December and had “improved our tools to make scanning and removing comments much faster and easier.”

Google’s statement to Mobile Web User goes on to say: “We’ve made the policy decision to disallow profanity in general.   Serious repeat offenders will be banned from making comments.”

“We’ll be adding the ability for consumers to report questionable comments in the next release of Android Market.  Comments that receive more than some number of spam flags will be removed from view, until they are reviewed by Google.”