Ironic isn't it Apple? Photo: Creative Commons
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Apple is causing a stir in the iPhone community by removing over 5000 apps from the app store due to what they deem as inappropriate content. Apple has long been known for being protective over what gets onto the app store, but never before have they rejected or removed so many apps at once. This recent course of action has caused Apple to receive a great deal of criticism from iPhone users, app developers, and the media.
The official reason of Apple banning the apps is due to what they deem “sexually inappropriate.” While some of these apps are very mature in nature, some are just joke apps that wanted a cheap laugh. In response to the removal of the apps, Apple has posted new guidelines to submitting apps. Here they are as reported by MobileCrunch:
1. No images of women in bikinis ( I personally found this rule highly hypocritical as the SI swimsuit app is a top app on iTunes.)
2. No images of men in bikinis
3. No skin
4. No silhouettes
5. No sexual connotations or innuendo.
6. Nothing that can be sexually arousing
7. No apps will be approved that in any way imply sexual content
I personally, am highly against this stance Apple has taken. Censorship on any level is wrong for a person‘s development, and bad for a society. I may not have agreed with what the banned apps had shown, but they shouldn’t have been banned. We can not live in a society where an entity, whether it be governmental or a business conglomerate, can tell us what we can and can’t watch, listen to, or do, especially when no one is being hurt because of it. Once that line is crossed, we can never go back, and our democratic society we live in will become nothing short of a socialist police state.
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Comments
Freedom of speech includes the right for a private organization to censor itself.
Its a dumb move, it makes for bad PR and will likely bring the app store into some level of disrepute but ultimately its their right to do what they want.
If we punters don't like it, we can move to alternatives like Android or others.
That's how a free market functions.
thanks apple!
Looks like Playboy, Maxim, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, etc. receive a get out of jail for free card with these types of apps. If you're not a big name you're a big nothing to apple. Hypocricy!
I agree with Phil. Apple has total right to control it's company the way it wants. If developers don't like it, they don't have to build apps for apple. As simple as that.
Apple understands they have a reputation of being professional and modest. They don't take chances on things that could hurt their image in a negative way.
By apple making decisions like this, it shows me how much they aren't afraid to make a stand on what they believe no matter what people say. They won't let people dictate their company. They have always been that way.
A private company can control what it wants to be used with it's product as an application. I am all for anything that helps to protect children -they are constantly bombarded with sexual images and not protected enough.
Parents need to determine and control what our kids can and can't see, not Apple. That's the problem with our society, we let everyone else do our parenting for us.
Most parents don't have the time to watch everything their kids do. At lest one company has show some responsibility to protect children instead of just thinking about making money.
Wow, how pathetic. When will APple realize that those who have and can afford IPhones are smart enough to decide waht they do and do not want. I would urge everyone to jailbreak their Iphones now because all those apps will be made available on Cydia or other app repositories!
Jess
www.online-anonymity.vze.com
Hypocrisy in a halo brand is risky. They should send someone over to Toyota for a briefing...
i'm not sure i seen the connection between a private company removing sexual content from it's own platform and a socialist police state.
When will people realize this is not Apple's wishes, but those of the paying customers?
People complain about their kids getting sexual content from an iPod touch, so Apple creates a new policy. Customers get what they ask for, what a shocking outcome!
@phil: Free market should function in that way, but in reality it doesn't, and Apple's move to censor after people use their phones as I see it is abusing the already made contract between phone users and Apple. People who are now buying iphones could make the decision to buy Android phone instead, but current iPhone owners would had no way of predicting this ban. They have the right to do it, of course, but by no means it's a good move no matter how you look at it.
Very happy with apples move.
I think this censorship is fine considering a great deal of the users on the app store are in the 12-18 age range, and shouldn't be able to access material like this anyways.
but i can still download games that glorify violence? (and i do)
god forbid i or someone's kids see a woman (or man) in a bikini.
puritanical posturing is a major problem with our society.
If you don't agree with Apple's stance, don't buy their product. If you already did, hock it.
It's very disappointing that Apple has succumbed to pressure to remove all remotely suggestive apps. Yeah, I can see truely sexual and graphic content, but since when is a bikini-clad man or woman inappropriate? I guess people should now be fully clothed that the beach too, less the children see them.
Parents are lazier than ever in their duties to raise their children... and push their responsibilities onto companies like Apple. I agree in discretion but pushing it to extremese like this is a bit overkill.
"Censorship on any level is wrong for a person‘s development, and bad for a society."
You do not believe this. What was your stance on Apple's banning of "Babyshaker"? What is your stance on Apple's banning of explicit sex (both pictures and audio)? What is your stance on Apple's banning of videos of executions? What is your stance on Apple's complying with laws against pornography featuring children? What is your stance against Apple's banning racist apps?
If you agree with Apple on ANY ONE of their above decisions, they you are not "against censorship on any level". You are merely arguing about where the censorship line should be drawn.
are you kidding me? i personally have hated the amount of crappy apps that are basically soft porn. i love that Apple are taking a moral high road. actually, i'm impressed that they have taken any road at all, since many companies just seem to want profit above all else.
the writer pontificates that the removal of these apps will be the beginning of the USA "becoming nothing short of a socialist police state". The is most ridiculous and exaggerated statement i've read from a "journalist". Phil commented on this perfectly by saying that free market forces gives everyone purchasing power. if you don't like how Apple approves apps, then take your money to another company that has no standards and loves to exploit women for profit.
i applaud Apple for their latest move, and i will continue to support this company.
How many sexually arousing games can you play on a system like xbox360 or playstation 3? Both systems that clearly offer mature content in the way of 18+ games. Just think about that for a second. I have nothing against sexual content.
Tim - You do realize that the phone you have is YOUR phone right? YOU paid for it. YOU paid for your RIGHT to use it. However, I'd like you to take a real close look at your EULA with Apple on any of their products. You're effectively leasing their hardware. You're not allowed to jailbreak your phone under Apples/AT&T's new proposal. If you are caught with a jailbroken phone, your contract will be canceled and your account will be charged the early termination fee.
Phil, this is not a private organization censoring it's self. It's a private organization, censoring the information that users of it's HARDWARE are allowed to search for.
In short, this is ridiculous. Apple wants people to surf the internet and use their devices the way THEY want them to. Not the way the consumer wants. Sounds a bit like China.
But, the phone still has a functioning web browser. So there's still no way to completely stop someone for getting FREE content that is far more explicit than the "women in bikinis" apps that were available. All this does is keep developers from making money on the app store with "suggestive" content. Kinda useless. What's next? Net-nanny on the web browser?
I'm thrilled for this move but only because I like Google's open Android platform more, and this just shows once again Apple can not be trusted with a monopoly, or even their own platform.
What does socialism have to do with police state. Oh wait...Fox News. Nevermind
the real underlying problem here is:
You - the consumer - have paid $$$ for an object (an iPhone in this instance).
Yet the product manufacturer is (is trying) to tell you what you can and ca not do with said product after purchase. Again, in this instance you may not purchase (or DL) a product that contains 'sex'.
This is a problem, while the iPhone starts off with some known constraints (in the US a specific service provider ATT). What Apple is doing is removing a consumer's right to choose what to do with THEIR item. Apple is treating the *purchase* of the iPhone as if it were a leasing/licensing agreement.
If Apple, in the longer term, get away with this marketing/sales/lease model expect others to follow. Do you want to have your TV, your stereo, your vacuum cleaner, toaster, EVERYTHING - to be functional at the whims and desires of the corporation who manufactured it???
Apple blows.
Well, I for one, am glad that all the countless apps with men in bikinis have been taken down. It just became WAY too overwhelming.
Just get an Android phone, you'll be a lot happier.
I am stuck onthis whole censorship argument. This is not the government legislating what companies and people can watch, listen to, or create. This is a private company deciding what they will allow in their network and on theri product - not censorship.
You just seem upset that they ar taking your porn away. If that's the case go somewhere eles. Lord knows there is plenty of it out there.
I applaud Apple for taking a stand and clearly drawing a line. Way to go Apple.
@ SallyB
actually, this is a new tactic. prior to this (iPhone/iPad) there is NO limitation on what application can be used with any specific (computing) product.
ex: Does Dell, or even Apple (yet) limit what software you purchase and install on your desktop/laptop? No.
given appropriate desire, time and effort - you can run ANY software you want on *your* computer. The iPhone, while called a phone is a pocket computer. Why should Apple, or anyone else for that matter - with in legal use - be able to dictate to you what can/can not install, watch, or do with YOUR computer?
Like others have said, the relation between a private corporation's actions and, well, utter social collapse and the alarmist socialist police state is tenuous at best. Let's get things straight: Apple, as a private organization, has no responsibility to maintain freedom of speech in their marketplace.
we run a very large community website and have to enforce similar rules in our discussion forums to ensure no children will be exposed to questionable content. Apple is doing the same thing here. Since they approve apps or deny them they could become responsible if something damaging gets through. Whether it is legal or just PR only.
If you surf via safari you can see whatever you want (except flash) and apple does not approve or disapprove that thereby absolving themselves of any responsibility there. This lack of approval/disapproval on the browser side keeps them in the clear both legally and PR wise.
Starting to feel like I am living in a Muslim state. Scary!
6. Nothing that can be sexually arousing
Does this have to be mainstream? What about people who may get sexually aroused from looking at trees or an apple with a bite taken out of it?
Apple has the right to decide what content they want to provide on THEIR website and via their platforms. They have the right to provide or not provide, same as you who want the right to view it. SO just sit tight until someone finds another way to download it. It will be found.
You might want to learn what "socialist" means before using it in a sentence.
don't you know, it's already a socialist police state!
I think this is more of a knee jerk reaction by Apple more than anything else.
Basically, someone found a way around their parental filters and Apple freaked out. Instead of actually fixing the problem in their system that allowed people to get around the parental filters Apple removes all (except the big name) apps that are suggestive. In the long run I think moves like this are going to significantly hurt Apple as a company.
Apple's totalitarian utopia is starting to crumble around them. An Apple product is no longer for the creative and intelligent. It is something shinny for those that want to be treated like sheep.
It occurs to me that The App Store is Apple's retail outlet. They're certainly entitled to control what's sold there. By comparison, you can't buy adult videos at Target, and nobody would consider that censorship.
I am dismayed, though, that Apple so tightly controls the possibility of third party development on their devices. If someone wants a porn app, why shouldn't they be able to get one somewhere. The choice of content should be up to the consumer, not the hardware manufacturer.
Having said that, you can still rip whatever DVDs you want and watch them from your iPhone. Even the X-rated ones. I notice Apple hasn't taken steps to block that functionality even though it's probably within their power to do so.
Ok, so, let me get this straight, The closed, locked, and rediculously overpriced Iphone has just instituted more lockdowns, causing their phone to be less like a multi-functional mobile device and more like a glorified Ipod (but with less functionality without JB'ing it. So nothing that COULD be Sexually arousing, does this include things like LOLCatz (for the beasty lovers) and Fast Cars(for the Gearheads) and pretty much anything out there one can think of? See the keyword here is COULD be sexually arousing. Anything COULD be.. Apple get over yourselves, YAAAAAAY Droid!
I disagree strongly with your use of the term "censorship" here. Censorship is a concept that can ONLY be applied to actions taken by a governmental entity. A private business who is providing the forum for the distribution of the media in the first place has no obligation whatsoever to allowcontent that they dislike or dis agree with. The concept of "free press and media" only guarantees that you can publish ideas and content if you can find a forum willing to publish them, it does NOT impose an obligation on the publishers to provide you with a forum.
@ mcg_freeman
>> I am stuck onthis whole censorship argument. This is not the government legislating what companies and people can watch, listen to, or create. This is a private company deciding what they will allow in their network and on theri [sic] product.
it is NOT their product - they manufactured it. BUT you (you as in all buyers) spent money to PURCHASE it. At that point, the completion of the sale, the product (iPhone) is no longer Theirs. it is YOURS.
Is the washing machine in your basement - Whirlpool's or is it yours? Do you believe that Whirlpool ha the right to tell you what you can and not wash in the washing machine? Blue jeans are OK, but not underwear? is it within their right to tell you what laundry soap to use? What temperature water? Who's power company you can power it with?
There is no difference (or there should be no difference) between how the iPhone and washing machine are viewed with respect to ownership and the owner's right to use the p
This is Apple's absolute right as a private company. Do we really want government telling free enterprise what it can and can't sell? If you want sexually arousing or explicit material, there's plenty of that in the open marketplace. Why do you think you have a right to tell Apple it should carry it for you too?
couldnt they just create an Adult Section for people 18 and over and put these apps there?
I am SO HAPPY they moved those apps out.
If you step back a level from the arguments here - you guys are missing the big picture, they build the phone, you buy it, you own it - do whatever you want with it - yes, hack it, then you can install whatever apps you want on it. Apple doesn't have to make it OPEN from the begining. Apple DOES OWN the app store, they built it, they spent a lot of money on it, they should be able to do whatever they want WITH it. If you don't like what they have built and are offering to society, go get an android or other phone and show them you don't like it with your dollars.
This is VERY straight forward.
Analogy - I build a computer store, and you tell me I MUST sell computer games with pornography, when I only sell the games I like.
IT'S MY STORE. You want to force your ideas on me? In MY store?
What is it about the censorship that would make it a socialist police state specifically? People in America don't seem to know what socialism actually is and just use it as a synonym for totalitarianism. If you are American and are interested in the rest of the world not thinking you are fully retarded, then you might want to learn what certain political terms actually signify. I guess you can't call anyone who diverges from the American agenda a 'commie' anymore (too out of date), so socialist will have to do.
If you want to check out a modern socialist state, go to Sweden. They have a way lower crime rate, a way higher education rate, a higher life expectancy and an overall higher standard of living than America, not to mention faster, better internet and telephony. They also have far fewer people receiving treatment for mental health disorders - an area where America comfortably beats the rest of the world.
if you want to browse porn you can do that on safari.. , or rip a dvd. so they got rid of lots of pointless apps.. its up to them what they put in there shop window. if you don't like closed systems then don't buy them, stop wining like 12 year old girls. jesus
@marc: Your explanation sounds plausible. But the listed criteria go far beyond anything that a reasonable person would consider to be damaging to a minor. In any case, Apple/AT&T simply shouldn't sell smartphones to minors.
If Apple owns a swimming pool, shouldn't they have the right to deny access to people who want to swim nude, or pee in it, or whatever? Or would that start us down the slippery slope to a "socialist" (seriously, at least bother to check wikipedia or a dictionary before using a word you don't understand) dictatorship? How about shopping malls? Shouldn't they have a right to deny access to their malls to vendors that sell things they don't want to associate themselves with? "Socialism"?
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