Apple Removes 3rd Palestinian Intifada iPhone App | Hacker News Reader

Apple Removes 3rd Palestinian Intifada iPhone App

arabcrunch.com

14 pointsArabGeek13 comments

From the App Store Review Guidelines:

14.1 Any app that is defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely to place the targeted individual or group in harms way will be rejected

19.1 Apps containing references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected

Also

"We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps, and parental controls don't work unless the parents set them up (many don't). So know that we're keeping an eye out for the kids."

"We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, "I'll know it when I see it". And we think that you will also know it when you cross it."

"If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to. If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps."

I don't see why it is so difficult to understand these rules. If you want free speech, start a blog.

I guess they did follow the rules, as it was just after Israel sent a demand for the app to be pulled from the market that it got pulled. That to me says that it was approved by apple... OTOH it could've slipped passed the review board

I think you are a racists Zionist, the app did not violate App Store Review Guidelines, it did not violate any of the above

"with this move Apple proves that free speech and the right for palestinians to be free from Israeli occupation are not granted at Apple."

Apple has never granted Free Speech. No company has.* Or any other rights.

The best you can get is a contract that states how each side benefits from the transaction. Without a contract, you're playing by the company's rules on the company's property.

Why anyone is ever surprised at this is beyond me.

* NearlyFreeSpeech.net is impressive in its attempt at this. But even they admit they can't do certain things, like oppose the laws of the United States. I'm sure there are others that attempt it, also.

It would have been irresponsible for them to NOT pull this app. They just took down the app that lists sobriety checkpoints, which are, by law, publicly available information. Apple wants a sanitized app store, and the Third Infantada app clearly violates that principle.

If Apple allowed opt-in sideloading like Android they'd be less often in the center of these kinds of controversies.

Note that the author of that admits that he has not looked at the app in question and has no idea what it contains.

How ironic. They hate the West and all it stands for, but want to use the iPhone to spread their message.

I read the article, where exactly did it state that they "hate the west and all it stands for". Popular political figures like to repeat it, but I have yet to hear it from someone that isn't from the west...

They just push false news, propaganda, no body hates the west and what it stands for!

How many palestinians have iPhones? I sincerely doubt this was helping many people resist israeli occupation

facebook did before the same and this comes after israeli goverment sent a letter to Appale saying that the app is full of hatred!

It is hatred to call for the liberation from occupation!

Facebook only pulled the page after comments turned violent. Initially, they said the page would be allowed to stay. Then the posts began to incite violence, which is against the FB TOS. It had nothing to do with censoring a call from "liberation from occupation", if you can really call it that.

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