Google suspends China's Pinduoduo app for security concerns

Google has suspended the Play version of Chinese eCommerce app Pinduoduo after security issues were discovered in versions of the app outside Google's app store. 

According to Reuters, Off-Play versions of the app that have been found to contain malware have been enforced on via Google Play Protect, and the Play version of the app has been suspended for security concerns.

Meanwhile, Pinduoduo has also confirmed to Reuters that the app has been temporarily suspended as the current version is not compliant with Google's Policy. No further details were shared, according to the report. 

A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw that, the Pinduoduo app no longer appears in Google Play. Meanwhile, both shoppers and sellers versions of Pinduoduo App are still available to download on Apple’s iOS store. It was unclear if there are similar security concerns around the Pinduoduo app for Apple users.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to both Google and Pinduoduo for a statement.

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Founded in 2015 by PDD Holdings, Pingduoduo started as a fresh agriculture platform before expanding to a leading social commerce player serving approximately 900 million users, according to its website. As a company rooted in agriculture, Pinduoduo has worked with more than 16 million farmers and their communities to take part in and benefit from the fast-growing digital economy. True to its slogan "Together, More savings, More fun", Pinduoduo strives to bring fun into consumers’ shopping journey.

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