Android roadmap leaks online, Qualcomm demands removal
updated 07:57 am EST, Fri February 1, 2013
Qualcomm issues takedown notices to blogs
A leaked roadmap concerning the future of Android has appeared online, forcing Qualcomm company officials to demand it's removal. Technology blogs have been ordered to remove the image due to it containing "confidential and copyrighted information" posted without the authorization of Qualcomm, despite the information revealed in the image to have already been expected by some parties.
The slides, originally published by Android Police and Android Authority before being taken offline, shows the timings of a future Android release. This is not much of a surprise, as Google I/O is scheduled for mid-May, and some sort of Android-related release would have been expected to be announced at that time, regardless of leaks from manufacturers.
Though usually leaks are published with little to no intervention from product manufacturers, the stance by Qualcomm to try and remove all copies of the slides from the Internet is unusual. By actively attempting to remove the details from the Internet, some believe that Qualcomm is effectively confirming the details of the leak to be correct. While the removal of information is working to a degree, Qualcomm risks further publication of the image by larger numbers than it can control, in what is called the Streisand Effect.
