Google is banning a popular Chinese developer from its Google Play Store and systematically removing dozens of its apps after BuzzFeed and security researchers discovered that the developer was committing ad fraud and abusing user permissions. The Chinese developer DO Global, which is partly owned by Baidu, was found to be producing fake ad clicks to gain revenue, among other fraudulent practices.

“We take our responsibility to protect users and advertisers seriously, and invest in tools and resources to fight fraud and abuse globally. We actively investigate malicious behavior, and when we find violations, we take action, including the removal of a developer’s ability to monetize their app with AdMob or publish on Play,” Google told T…

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