'Sarahah' removed from app stores for promoting cyber-bullying

The popular anonymous messaging app Sarahah has been removed from the Apple and Google stores, BBC reported on Monday.

The app, which was created by Saudi Arabian developer Zain Al-Abidin Tawfiq, was pulled from app stores due to accusations of promoting cyber-bullying. 

The move came in response to a viral petition created by an Australia-based woman whose daughter received abusive messages on the app.

Titled Sarahah, which is the Arabic word for honesty, the app took social media by storm in early 2017 and became one of the most popular apps in the world at the time.

The platform allows people to send anonymous messages to each other directly on the server, with the aim of letting people constructively criticize each other. 

However, as is the case with most anonymous platforms, some users resorted to Sarahah to bully others and send hateful messages. 

As a result, it has been branded as a "breeding ground for hate" by critics, one of whom decided to launch a petition to have the app removed. 

Australia-based Katrina Collins organized a Change.org petition, which called for a ban on apps like Sarahah after her 13-year-old daughter was bullied on the platform. 

"I have been scared, broken and sick to my stomach ever since I read messages about my 13-year-old daughter including, 'I hope SHE KILLS HERSELF. Seriously nobody will care'," Collins wrote. 

"No parent can stomach this abuse of their children and I cannot even imagine losing my beautiful, sweet girl to suicide. This is why we need to protect our children."

The petition garnered almost 470,000 signatures, prompting Apple and Google to shelve the app from their stores.

According to Newsweek, new users can no longer download the app since it does not show up on Android's Google Play or Apple Store searches. However, users who have already installed the Sarahah app can still use it.

In response, Collins lauded the tech giants for taking action and described the victory as the "beginning of a global fight against cyber-bullying."

According to the BBC, Tawfiq described the decision to remove the app as "unfortunate" and said he is "very optimistic about reaching a favorable understanding with them soon".

Tawfiq assured that the company has upgraded its filtering system, which filters out offensive messages through "artificial intelligence and machine learning" and stops them from reaching their intended recipients.