After receiving thousands of complaints, Apple removed the “Manhattan Declaration” app from the App Store this week. The app, which espoused anti-gay and anti-abortion views, was originally released by a religious group founded by Chuck Colson.
The app’s ejection from the store has raised the ire of some who now decry Apple for not supporting free speech and/or being anti-Christian. Let’s see if we can separate the light from the heat on this issue.
First of all, stories about App Store rejections have been a staple since the dawn of the App Store. Then came stories of apps that were accepted and subsequently removed. The most infamous instances of yo-yoing in and out of the store were the Google Voice apps, which have since been restored after over a year’s absence, but that is a rare case. Most times, when an app is removed, it is gone forever. Some great apps have been yanked, including MiTube, Camera+, iDOS and many more.
On the inappropriate content front, Apple also removed a “Baby Shaker” application and a huge number of apps that were deemed “too sexy” for the App Store. Of course, porn apps have been banned since the App Store was announced.
Continue reading On the Manhattan Declaration and Apple’s curation of the App Store
On the Manhattan Declaration and Apple’s curation of the App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments