An Android 7 (Nougat) device that hadn't been used in a while (perhaps a few months) was recently turned on. That device has Nova Launcher Pro installed. It does not have external (microSD card) storage.
I noticed that one of the launcher's folders had a couple empty spots. I don't recall deleting any apps, nor any icons from the launcher's folders. I don't remember exactly which apps were in those folders.
When Google Play Protect is disabled, I'm wondering if Google has the power (and legal authority, but that's a bigger question) to simply remove apps from Android devices if they deem those apps to be "bad". By "bad", I simply mean they crash too often, contain malware, violate user's privacy expectations, violate Google's Terms & Conditions, or something along those lines.
Note that all apps on that device were installed from Google's Play Store or from F-Droid (via it's primary repository). Google Play Protect was not enabled. Although Google does have a bad history of enabling functions/permissions that the user explicitly disabled, Google Play Protect does show itself as disabled on that device.
