They're really astroturfing youtube ads right now (I know, ick, youtube, and I should use plugins; I normally don't use it at all but lately I've had a couple songs I've been listening too on repeat. I should just download them).

Like, almost every fucking ad is "some apps are traps, can you spot the trap" with these stupid cartoony characters representing apps and suddenly one (at random, with no rhyme or reason) blows up and the narrator says "google play can."

Like fuck off, google play says whatever they want to say is a trap is a trap. Meanwhile they allow all these predatory BS apps on their store. They'll let you fall for the traps they approve of. And they won't even show you what country an app developer is based in until after you download it.

But they're trying to give people this false sense of security like "oh, I can trust anything on the play store" while also making them suspicious/hesitant to use any alternative app repos. It's clearly an attempt to manufacture consent for their ecosystem lockdown, and unfortunately it will probably work. They're targeting easily-influenced young people with these supposedly "cute" (yet honestly kinda gross) characters.