This decision was made because the mobile app is outdated and the decision was taken not to update it, reported Latvian Radio on January 30.
The head of the VVC Language Control Department, Madara Rēķe, told Latvian Radio on Monday that potential violations could in future be reported via the VVC website, or via a special email address on the 'Latvija.lv' state portal.
However, as Latvian Radio also reported, the state portal itself was experiencing some technical problems on Monday as a result of a change of domain name from "Latvija.lv" to "Latvija.gov.lv". In addition, the app remained listed at the Google Play, which says that it was downloaded 5,000 times during its 5 years of existence.
As previously reported by LSM at the time of its launch in 2018, the app allowed members of the public to send their complaints directly to VVC, for example, by photographing or videoing a suspect sign.
It came complete with instructions to help understand whether what was spotted was in fact a language violation, or just typographical or grammatical mistake. It was also possible to register praise for examples of language use.
You can read more about the role and functions of VVC at its website: https://www.vvc.gov.lv/en/about-us
