Apple confirms it banned iPhone porn app
Yesterday was a little confusing.
(Credit:
Apple, Inc.)
Thursday saw the first softcore porn app arrive for the iPhone, only to disappear hours later. Many, including myself, thought Apple had approved and then banned the app, but a note on the developer's Web site indicated that he asked for the app to be removed.
The developer's note read:
"The Hottest Girls app is temporarily sold out. The server usage is extremely high because of the popularity of this app. Thus, by not distributing the app, we can prevent our servers from crashing. Customer satisfaction is more important to us than profits. Those who already have the app will still be able to use our app. To answer the question on everyone's mind: Yes, the topless images will still be there when it is sold again."
That left a lot of people backpedaling after yelling at Apple for pulling the app. As it turns out Apple did pull the app--the company confirmed the move in a statement provided to CNET on Friday.
"Apple will not distribute applications that contain inappropriate content," Apple's statement reads. "The developer of this application added inappropriate content directly from their server after the application had been approved and distributed, and after the developer had subsequently been asked to remove some offensive content. This was a direct violation of the terms of the iPhone Developer Program. The application is no longer available on the App Store."
Many observers thought that the App Store flip-flops might end when iPhone OS 3.0 was released because Apple could utilize the new operating system's built-in parental controls.
Using parental controls you can block inappropriate content, including apps, movies and music from children.
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. A guitar player for 20 years, Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to write and record songs on a Macintosh with Logic Pro and Pro Tools. Jim is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. 
/Oh, wait... I didn't care to begin with.
This is essentially becomming a question of censorship. Who is Apple to tell us what you what you can and cannot run on your phone? They should simply be concentrating on delivering good parental controls instead.
If Apple had the nicest phone in the world and sold it cheap (snicker), I still wouldn't buy it. I am an adult, and although I'm not interested in porn on my cell phone, I'm also not interested in being locked into only one app store run by Apple if Apple is going to censor what's available. What I put on my phone should be MY choice, not Apples. I have never liked Apple, and now this is just one more confirmation that I have always been making the right decision in not buying their products.
Anyone who's OK with this is blatantly a programmed sheep that enjoys doing what Apple tells them is good for them.
What ever happened to "I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"? I guess Apple has never heard of that quote, and doesn't understand what it means. Are we sure Apple is really American? We should check and make sure they're not actually from China.
Why would anyone want to own a censored computing device? Parental controls are good, censorship is bad.
I'm sure that RIM and Nokia are doing the same !
people need to stop making it sound like Apple is the only company involved in censorship !
Get any nude pics that you want off the internet, put the on your iPhone - run a slide show! ta da! same thing, except for fee, and your choosing/... :)
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The fact is Apple is a commercial entity, not a government one. Once you fall on the sword of selling inappropriate content it is a downward spiral. Apple will not stop you from taking your iphone and going on the web for the exact same content that this app had, however it is Apple's responsibility to maintain an image that isn't with smut. I applaud them for keeping their apps clean as this is not censorship in any form, this is a product agreement you made when you agreed to use the iphone and I believe it to be a good one, unlike only installing OSX on apple sold hardware, that is just stupid. Hack your iphone and you can do whatever the heck you want on it, no one is stopping you, just don't think it is your right to tell Apple to do its business.
Your quote is flawed as it has to do with government censorship, not private industry. I would side with you if this were a government issue, but it is not and we can choose to live without Apple very easily if they do not supply us with what we need. No one needs to fight Apple on this and to be frank no one has the right to tell Apple how to do its business cause you would just be censoring them in a different way.
The difference between Google and Apple is that I can still install software from 3rd party sources on my G1. Apple has their entire garden walled off.
It's their business, so they can make the rules, just like Apple.
Besides, the iPhone has a web browser - you can go browse naughty pictures for free without paying for an app, can't you?
The app was downloading nude images from the developer's server. The developer claimed that the app's popularity had overwhelmed his server's capacity and he asked Apple to temporarily halt sales of Hottest Girls. I believe his website showed that he has written four apps for the iPhone/iPod touch.
Today, the developer's site has basically been taken down (www.allenthegeek.com). There is nothing left but an e-mail address.
There is plenty of porn on the iPhone. It can be reached through Safari... ;)
SAFARI IS THE BIGGEST PORN APP FOR THE IPHONE!
Geeze
Cody
It's not that hard (no pun intended...)
Cody
You have an app for that! Well at least it isn't naked women
After all I do not confuse this with attempting to stop people in other shops displaying what ever they like so long as they are comfortable that the content conforms with their own self image. Flickr, Google, YouTube are the equivalent of other "shops" on the iPhone where adult material is readily viewable.
Each of these entities works within their own self imposed boundaries plus those dictated by law. Apple prefers a squeeky clean image for the App Store. No problems - there are plenty of other choices on the iPhone for viewing what ever I like.
Anything exposing the private parts is considered softcore porn.
Besides, I have to agree, Safari is much better at handling porn.
uhhh, topless women picture IS porn in any way.
Anything exposing the private parts is considered softcore porn. "
Uh...huh. So then me taking my shirt off and posting a picture of me shirtless(I'm a guy) is considered softcore porn. Since all that's ever censored on that part is nipples. Niiples ! Bad. Get over it.
Sheep"
Ignorant and uninformed is what you are. The App store is a retail store, whether you realize it or not. Their is not one, I repeat, not one retail chain that would have done the same thing, i.e. Walmart, Target, K-Mart, Sears, etc. Let us you if ever find an "adult" section in any of those stores and we might believe what you're saying. Til' then. censorship does apply to private business. Get over it!!
You're confusing game ratings with the ability to run a game. MS has implemented brilliant parental controls in the 360. I just setup my kids' account, enable/disable whatever settings I want, specify the level (M / PG13 etc. types) of content that's ok, and have the console boot into that.
On my own account (yes, password protected), I can run anything I want. Nobody makes games that are rated NC-17 and such (becauase they'll never make enough money off them) -- that's a totally different thing. The console makers aren't telling you what you can/cannot play. Even the parental controls are squarely in the hands of the parents.
That's fine and dandy for disc-based games, but on the online store for the XBox 360, only games that Microsoft approves to be on the store are allowed on the store. Since you don't have the ability to shop at other third-party online stores to download content, then you have to rely entirely on Microsoft's own decision-making as to whether or not you could make a profit on downloadable content for the 360 (or the PS3 for that matter when it comes to Sony and their system). As the world starts moving away from retail stores and physical media and moves closer and closer to downloadable media being the majority, we're ending up in a scenario where each device has its own proprietary store where the maker of that device can define what applications are allowed or not allowed.
The future will be a whole lot less free if something isn't done about this.
1) You have an option -- that's the point. Whether it's available online or not doesn't matter.
2) You actually have no insight into MS's 'approval' process for their online store. They have R rated and NC-17 rated movies. So they have no qualms about having game content that's rated at that level as well. They have *working* parental controls -- so X rated content won't even show up on a child's account. They have no reason to censor anyone.
That's why there are absolutely no successful shopping, travel and business sites on the world wide web... back in 1999 they were all outpaced by those damn porn sites.
What I mean is that if the porn apps become really successful useful apps will end up lower in the rankings and when it comes to selling apps on the app store your apps ranking can make a huge difference.
Allowing pr0n specific apps would DAMAGE Apple, and why should Apple agree to something that damages them?
I suppose they could put a brown paper wrapper tab, or a "backroom with beaded curtain" button like indy video stores used to. But again, you can just use Safari. Big deal.
I admit that this soft-core porn app really wasn't necessary as an app. The person could have just set it up as a website formatted for iPhones and then charged a one-time $2 fee for unlimited access. The problem I could see this individual running into is setting up the security... setting up a payment method (through some place which will allow this type of service)... and then advertising his product.
Apple's app store gives all of these... it gives built-in marketing... built-in payment collection system... built-in security mechanism, etc...
Oh wait! They did!
How mentally or morally challenged/inept do you have to be for a breast to offend you.
What's the difference between Apple banning topless apps and the other moronic lemmings enforcing the wear a sheet rule.
Wake up....... Apple's not your Nanny!!!! or is it....?????????
Meanwhile, Microsoft's Bing has audio preview for video search results... awesome :D
- by solvback June 26, 2009 7:08 PM PDT
- Dudes it's wrong. Totally nerds. This is America.
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- by The_happy_switcher June 28, 2009 3:55 PM PDT
- So you're only hip if you allow porn developers on your phone? Clue fairy here: the iphone surfs the net--home to about 1 billion porn sites--and does so without censoring.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (77 Comments)The phone for most can't be used for business, most use blackberry.
For me it will be an entertainment device and phone.
Apple is Apple, they punk out when government will be involved. Smart Business move, safe.
Just don't come on my TV talking as your products are the hip ones.
I like the phone but I don't like censorship.