technically true but the original Streisand effect was about an image that had been downloaded six times before the lawsuit; Organic Maps is definitely a lot less obscure than that
Strategy? You are assuming there was any intent behind it. The reviewers in third world countries are probably spending 30 seconds per app and are bound to make mistakes. Which in this case was reverted.
The reviewers in the 3rd world country are the ones who have to deal with the appeal. I guarantee you that the removal was some form of automated system. No human review is required for deletion from the playstore. The idea behind ithat is that legitimate app developers will appeal in cases where the automated system fucks up whereas the conmen will not.
Same. I've been using magicearth but I keep my eyes open for any alternative to a popular google app , just so I have a backup if something goes wonky.