Apple Ordered To Pull Secret App From Store

A court in Brazil has ordered Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) to pay a fine of almost $9,000 (£5,400) per day if it does not remove a controversial app from its store.

Secret was designed to anonymously share gossip between friends , but it has also been abused by people posting libellous and bullying claims.

Now Judge Paulo Cesar de Carvalho of the Fifth Civil Court of Victoria has given Apple 10 days to comply with an order to remove the app from its digital store in the country.

If it fails to act, the company will be fined 20,000 Reals every day, according to Brazil news outlet Estadao.

Apple has also been asked to remove the app from individual devices.

Both requests are feasible – it is relatively simple to remove an app from the store, and it is technically possible to block software installed on iPhones and iPads, although it is usually used as a last resort.

The same court has also ordered Microsoft (NasdaqGS: MSFT - news) to pull Cryptic – which is the equivalent Windows Phone app.

Brazil's constitution outlaws anonymous attacks where the subject of the claims cannot defend themselves.