Wait, So The iPhone's Browser Can Access The Sun's Page 3... But If Another App Does, It's Obscene?
from the please-explain dept
Trent Reznor already did a wonderful job explaining Apple's hypocrisy in rejecting the NIN iPhone app because you could stream some content from The Downward Spiral, which Apple found objectionable... even though you could buy the same music via the iTunes store. However, reader Yakko Warner points us to a similar case as well. Apparently, Apple has rejected an app that pulls in newspaper content from many newspapers because some of that content includes the famous (or infamous) "Page 3" from The Sun, in the UK, which is normally filled with images of topless women. But, of course, anyone with an iPhone could just as easily use the web browser to surf right over to the website for Page 3 and see the exact same photos. So why is it suddenly "objectionable" when the very same functionality comes in a separate app?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: app store, arbitrary, iphone, page 3
Companies: apple, the sun
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(until I get home, anyway)
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I got to ask, Apple is so worried about this on the iPhone, do they care that much about all the other Apple PCs? Do they block offensive content threw the Safari browser?
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If you want porn, go find porn. Page3 is not porn.
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In Trent's example, iPhone apps and iTunes both come from Apple. Why would Apple block the content from on Apple source when it is available from another Apple source.
In the latter example, the iPhone app is blocked, but internet content available from any device with a web browser is not.
The point that iPhone is arbitrary in their content filter isn't lost on me. Just that only one of the two examples is good in demonstrating the argument.
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Money?
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Money?
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Blocking page3 is silly.
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But what they're doing is rejecting a whole application because it can access Page 3 (or rather, because it accesses a site that contains "Page 3").
I mean, how is this app different than a browser for newspaper sites? And it gets banned because one of those newspapers that a user might choose to read contains content someone might find objectionable?
On those grounds, they might as well categorically reject any application that retrieves and displays content from anywhere on the internet. :?
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Re: NiN vs Apple
I bet it is that simple.
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So, I guess Apple is the new Microsoft, I always wondered how long it take...
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I knew exactly how long it would take. Immediately after it obtained a dominate position in a viable market.
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I'm not completely unsympathetic to Apple though on this. Do we want phones to turn into computers where you need to install anti-virus software and popup blockers and have to reinstall every few months? Some people may want that freedom (and they'll be smart enough not to install the FRE3 pr00n! app), but I suspect they'll migrate to the G1 anyhow.
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I know, I bring nothing to the table. :)
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That simply isn't the case. For all of us out there with jailbroken iPhones, Cydia or Ice now, has some great source servers for wonderful applications and modifications to the iPhone. Yet no malicious code. I chalk it up to the same reason hardly anyone writes malware for Apple or *NIX based operating systems in the first place.
And by the way Apple, until you DO give me full control over the device I purchased, I'm keeping it jailbroken. And get rid of that arrogant "killswitch" on your apps.
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Blah Blah Blah
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Re: Blah Blah Blah
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Simple question
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Re: Simple question
No, absolutely not. You're essentially renting it from Apple. Sucks, don't it?
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Re: Re: Simple question
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Of Course
Of course! What's so hard to understand about that?
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Moral watchguards
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Fuck Apple
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And Apple backed down from the NiN thing, BTW
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Good to be the Admin
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Re: Good to be the Admin
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Re: Good to be the Admin
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As people have already learned, *subtlety* is the key to getting around the Apple censors.
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It's Obscene?
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