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Developer says Apple sent them pornographic image when rejecting app

guidelines

Apple’s developer guidelines on explicit content

An iOS developer said Apple demonstrated that their app could be used to surf for porn by sending them a screenshot containing a pornographic image. Carl Smith shared the story of the rejection of Wave, an app for browsing Instagram and public images, in a blog post.

It turns out Apple thought the best way to tell us our app could be used to surf porn was to surf for porn using our app. Then send us some pictures and say take a look at these! Except they said, “Please see the attached screenshot for more information.” So with no warning […]

They sent us a picture of a guy masturbating.

The explicit image was attached to an email rejecting the app on the basis that the process for flagging inappropriate content was inadequate … 

With great irony, Apple’s email contained no warning that the attachment was pornographic.

But no, they just sent porn to our employees without warning. Porn that our employees found offensive.

A censored version of the photo appears at the bottom of the blog post.

Apple has guidelines for reviewers asking them to help developers understand the reason an app has been rejected by illustrating with screenshots where possible, but we suspect this particular example may contravene another Apple guideline or two …

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Comments

  1. Ethan Duller - 9 years ago

    I don’t see the photo, am I doing something wrong?1

    • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

      We haven’t included even the censored version of the photo, but it’s at the bottom of the linked blog post.

    • TechPeeve (@TechPeeve) - 9 years ago

      yea, you’re trying to see that photo, that’s wrong

    • at the bottom of the “blog post” not this post :)

    • standardpull - 9 years ago

      Can’t see the image? Use the app called Wave. It’s the best porn viewing tool out there.

      • Mike Knopp (@mknopp) - 9 years ago

        Want to view porn on your iOS device. Well, Apple has you covered. Introducing, Safari, the most useful program for finding and viewing porn.

        But wait, there’s more.

        It comes FREE on every single Apple device sold. And not only is it free, but Apple is so dedicated to your porn viewing that it is a company goal to constantly improve Safari so as to provide a much faster and more responsive process for viewing porn.

        So, just to recap, buy any Apple device and receive, FREE, one of the best tools for finding and viewing porn. Just another service brought to you buy Apple, following standard business practices for hypocrisy since 1976.

        Seriously, I was floored when I couldn’t install a password management app on my daughter’s iPad because the app had internet access. So, this password app which can’t go anywhere that Safari can’t go isn’t appropriate for my daughter because she “might” use it to browse the internet, but Safari is perfectly fine.

        Yeah, that makes sense.

        Apple needs to simply stop playing morality cop. I wasn’t happy about it years ago when the announced the App Store and I am not any happier about it now.

        By all means, rate apps and inform users of why an app is rated that way. And by all means allow parents to control what their children can do on their device, but if an adult wants to buy an use an adult app it isn’t any of Apple’s business. This is about the only problem that I have with Apple’s iOS approach. Their morality isn’t necessarily the public’s morality.

  2. Chris Denny (@dennyc69) - 9 years ago

    The fact that they sent the photo is just funny in the first place. It’s hard to say whether it was appropriate is a matter of opinion, especially if you have to demonstrate the reason.
    I would assume there was some kind of discussion between at Apple before they sent it.

    • standardpull - 9 years ago

      Even crazier, the app developer publicly publishes the porn on their blog. Hm.

      • giskardian - 9 years ago

        And then the dev whines about how horrible and shocking it was for his staff to see the image – as if nobody on his staff ever say a dude’s private parts before, lol.

        If they guy had any sense of humor, he would have laughed and then set about working on his app to meet Apple’s approval. But no, he has to share the horribly shocking masturbating dude pic. WTH?

        It’s like a priest collecting all the examples he can find of “really bad porn”. Then at his priestly conferences he gets all his priest colleagues together to exhibit it “hey, look at this one, oh it is soooo unholy! Sinful, sinful!” “oooooohhhh yeahhh! That’s a bad one alright!”

    • Mr. Grey (@mister_grey) - 9 years ago

      What this article, and the blog post obfuscate however, is that the rejections aren’t done in some bunker at Apple with all the executives looking over each application.

      The words “Apple rejects …” are appropriate, but cover up the plain fact that the groups doing the app rejections are small, scattered, and most are not housed at Apple HQ. Some are even single individuals who work from home.

      So what really happened here is just that one person who is employed doing app submissions/rejections for Apple, made a bad call.

  3. sonicsoundvw - 9 years ago

    and if they had not done that, we would be reading articles and stories of an app developer stating that apple refused to allow his app on the app store with no proof of what was wrong with it.

  4. Peter Ginn (@Peter_Ginn) - 9 years ago

    WOW! Apple offends the app developer with the app developer’s own app. Ban them from the app store.

  5. standardpull - 9 years ago

    Is Instagram also used for some kind of images other than porn? Apple only calls out pornography. Is gay pornography implied to be a concern too? I’ve always seen them as different. Perhaps the developer has an opinion?

  6. PMZanetti - 9 years ago

    How else you going to prove the point to the developer? The developer didn’t see fit to include any warning that the Apple reviewer (or a customer) would encounter such offensive material.
    The only reason they are making a big deal out of it is because their app was rejected.

    • Dean Har - 9 years ago

      Can you seriously not think of a better way Apple could have informed the developer? Or are you just playing stupid to defend your favorite company? The developers aren’t “making a big deal” because their app was rejected, they even said “Apple’s policy to make sure people can flag inappropriate content is a good thing”. The problem here is that you can’t just email someone “Please see the attached screenshot for more information” with a naked masturbating man behind the link. It’s offensive, wildly unnecessary, and EXTREMELY unprofessional.

      As the developer said, Apple could have easily:

      “1. Given us a sample hashtag to search.
      2. Pixelate the naughty parts to protect the innocent.
      3. Explain that there was a pornographic example waiting before we opened the attached files.”

      BTW, it’s the reviewer’s job to actively seek out and find inappropriate content; they don’t need any warning whatsoever.

  7. I don’t believe this guy is that offended. I believe this guy is hyping his app. They stated the reasons for rejection clearly and then attached proof. What did he expect the screen shot was going to be of…kittens?

    • Dean Har - 9 years ago

      When you say “see the attached screenshot for more information” it could’ve been the hashtag used to find pornographic images, screenshot of the broken pornographic policy, more details/explanations, etc etc. It could’ve been anything…

  8. jramskovk (@jramskovk) - 9 years ago

    I think everyone, especially Apple, should relax. I have never understood why people are so scared of the human body? Oh noes, a breast! I’m going to die!!! Meanwhile, all kinds of violence is perfectly ok… #wtf

  9. diososx - 9 years ago

    As I see it apple didn’t send porn. They sent an example of why their app got rejected. I don’t see the big deal. Maybe since the devs are so offended by porn they never tried to test their app for it? The devs should be screaming because their app is not complying, not because they saw some skin. I would have laughed for 5 seconds and after that started fixing the problem.

  10. so how did Google Chrome get to AppStore then? LOL

  11. samuelsnay - 9 years ago

    Apple didn’t send him a pornographic image. An employee of Apple did. It’s not as tho this were somehow company policy or anything. This dev needs to chill out.

  12. Did the developer even mention what the rejection issue was? I’m assuming it’s just a ratings/disclaimer issue.

    Nearly every app in the history of computers can be used for porn. I can’t imagine a world otherwise.

    • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

      “The explicit image was attached to an email rejecting the app on the basis that the process for flagging inappropriate content was inadequate”

      • I got that part – but a flagging mechanism is not one of the Apple rules. And the rules quoted at the top of this post don’t apply to this app as its primary purpose is more definitely not dissemination of pornographic content – it passes the same litmus test any image-heavy app would, including any photo app, messaging app, browser, etc.

  13. taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

    Good way for free publicity.

    My thing is with the parental settings Apple has why do they care about “questionable content? Just rate rhe damn Apps and put them where they belong.

    It’s ridicoulous that we live in this hyper sensitive culture here in the US. We have the highest imprisionment rate of the western world, more murders, violence is shown everywhere, but we are offended by the human body? Being able to pick and choose what fits under your morality code is a joke here.

  14. jonvdveen - 9 years ago

    I think someone at Apple is about to get punted.

  15. Sebastian Rasch - 9 years ago

    Did they reject Safari yet?

  16. Joshua Isaac Guttman - 9 years ago

    That’s BS. Safari can be used to surf porn. Why do they allow that app?

    • standardpull - 9 years ago

      It isn’t about the app. It is about the rating the app developer applied for. The idea is to provide for blocking for little kids that use smartphones.

  17. timdyer83 - 9 years ago

    This is freaking hilarious.

  18. That’s completely unacceptable. Apple Employee, goodbye.

  19. lexxkoto - 9 years ago

    Well, Apple let you download Tumblr. Do you know how much porn there is on Tumblr?

    A lot. So I’ve heard. I wouldn’t know.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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