Don’t be religulous! You can’t have BitTorrent on the iPhone
By Ronald O Carlson
Isn’t the right to heap scorn on and mock religion a constitutionally protected right? And, why has Apple rejected a BitTorrent client for the iPhone when there’s already a torrent queue utility available? These latest twists in the App Store highlight ever more strongly why Cupertino needs to get out of the censorship business.
Wired reports that Apple has rejected Maza Digital’s DriveTrain, a BitTorrent client, for inclusion on the iTunes App Store, “this category of applications is often used for the purpose of infringing third-party rights.” Interestingly, the App Store does include trackr, which is an RSS reader that can queue torrent downloads via an RSS feed.
Thereupon, the Cupertino, CA-based computer, widget and digital services company—not to mention guardian public of morals—seems to be drawing a line in the virtual sand between sins of complicity and commission by excluding the BitTorrent client but not the download queue manager.
What’s huge, white and flies across the…
In a similar vein, Apple’s censors have also rejected Me So Holy, a software trinket that lets you scale and crop any face into an image of “Jesus” (see also: Trek Yourself). AlleyInsider reports that the app’s developer earned an SDK sermon, quoted chapter and verse, from App Store priests.
Thou shall not…
Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.
Pretty much any of those things can be said about the various Bible, Quran or you name it religious apps already available on the App Store and one hopes the ACLU or whomever finds time to litigate Apple into the 19th Century on this issue. After all, perversion and obscenity largely exist in the eyes of the beholder and once you start kowtowing to the mainstream prigs soon it will be illegal to make fun of vegasexuals or gun owners or people dressed as Klingons or fart jokes.
Apple really, really needs to get out of the censorship business…
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May 12th, 2009
I agree that Apple should not be so arbitrary with their decisions however I do think that Apple should monitor what they sell – I don’t want them to create or sell things directly that are offensive or in bad taste (and yes I do realise how complex an issue it is) so I guess I don’t want them doing it via their app store either…
An alternate idea would be to have a ‘nice’ app store and a ‘nasty’ app store – then anything contentious could be flagged as such…
May 13th, 2009
Yeah, but a bit torrent app for the Touch / iPhone? someone wasn’t thinking very well when they submitted that.
The problem is… the darn cell network can’t handle the traffic as it is now, so a torrent App makes no sense.
I feel Apple is doing the best they can at filtering the Apps… sure it would be nice have anything and everything, but there are valid REASONS why high bandwidth Apps will have to wait.
May 13th, 2009
Yes, it’s true the cell network can’t handle the existing load, but they’ve limited high-bandwidth apps to wi-fi in the past. Why not in this case?
May 13th, 2009
I think Robert is correct and they need an above 18 section for the people that want adult stuff on THEIR Iphone/Touch
May 13th, 2009
“….a bit torrent app for the Touch / iPhone?”
insanity!
sigh … see this is why we can’t have nice things