A few days ago, Twitter unveiled a new application called vine for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The application allows users to record videos of six seconds and integrate them into tweets. The videos are played in a loop, so you could compare them to modern animated gifs.
The application of the vine, like Twitter, allows users to explore and discover content using hashtags. However, it did not take long at all for hashtags for words like #sex and #porn to the scene. Indeed, no matter what term NSFW, one can think that probably already has a list through the grapevine. While the application of the vine has a feature that allows users to flag as inappropriate videos, it is that to provide a warning to users before a video begins to play.
So why is this a problem? After all, the web is full of child pornography.
Well, it can be a problem for Apple because he took such a position anti-porn burning on the iTunes App Store since it first launched in 2008. Indeed, Steve Jobs has used this like advantage the iTunes app Store from competing Android app stores, actually calling it a repository for porn.
Back in 2010 for example, Steve Jobs said that Apple has a "moral responsibility to keep the iPhone porn," adding that "folks who want porn can buy an Android phone.
Obviously, so Apple does when it comes to adult content, and it is certainly no shortage of applications that were denied entry to the app store because tangential same adult content.
Recently, Apple has removed an application called 500px because it was easy enough for users to navigate around and find nude pictures of popular photo sharing.
Following this withdrawal, Apple made the following statement:
The app has been removed from the App Store for the star of pornographic images and material, a clear violation of our guidelines. We have also received complaints from customers regarding possible pornography. We asked the developer to put safeguards in place to prevent material and pornographic images in their application.
It is worth noting that 500px stretched The rod hand a few days earlier and said that the company has never received a complaint about child pornography.
[DIRECTOR GENERAL] Tchebotarev replied to us, saying that 500px did not say the complaints of child pornography and that Apple has not mentioned the problems around nude until a phone call yesterday. We have never, since the beginning of the company, received a single complaint on child pornography. If something like that happened, it would be reported immediately to law enforcement agencies. »
So, what gives? 500px gets the boot, but the vineyard of Twitter is a-OK? Moreover, the vine is still evidence on the iOS App Store as an 'Editor's choice '.
The problem for Apple, despite its good intentions, is that every time a $ $ app opens the door for the content submitted by the user, an influx of porn is inevitable. That said, if Apple wants to remove all applications that serves as the gateway for pornography, they should pull Safari out of each iPhone. In addition, Twitter - even the vine before - has been a bastion for adult content for many users. Where Apple is running into criticism, it is when it selectively applies its rules of store of $ $ app and lets get some apps while pulling or rejecting others.
Brian Proffitt ReadWrite Notes:
If the vine is on the App Store after such a review, it would prove a serious flaw in the Apple store model. If Apple placates renowned developers of applications and circumvent the rules for their applications in the App Store, then the injustice that we suspected is put into the light of reality.
Even if that makes sense on the surface, the reality may be a little more nuanced. If it is manifestly unfair to Apple to circumvent the rules a little for application developers big names, they have more confidence in the eyes of Apple deal with immediate problems as they arise. A small independent developer, on the other hand, may take more time to implement the changes requested by Apple.
Whatever it is, consistency would be good and it'll be interesting to see how Apple responds, if at all. In its current form, the vine has a rating of 12 + indicating that it may not be suitable for anyone under 12 years. A score of 17 + on the $ $ app is perhaps the way to go if the problem persists. Note that the web browsers on the App Store, such as Opera and Google Chrome, can be purchased by 17 users and more. Of course, Safari comes in standard so consistency may not necessarily an entirely achievable goal.
Finally, fear that anyone thinks that this is exclusively a problem Apple has to deal with, the vine for a brief period featured a clip porn hardcore as a 'Editor's choice' Monday morning. Since then, Twitter has responded, stating:
Human error caused a video with adult content, becoming one of the videos in the Editor's choice, and to be aware of this error, we have removed the video immediately. We apologize to our users for the error.
So far, Apple has not issued no official comment on the vine.
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