Apple censors political speech

By Frank Moraes

Here's a question for you. What's worse: killing innocent civilians or reporting on it? If you ask the fascists at Apple, the answer is reporting on it, of course. Apple has turned down the app Drones+ because it is "objectionable and crude."

Let's be clear here: there is nothing objectionable or crude in this app, except that it highlights an objectionable and crude United States government policy. All the application does is search the UK's Bureau of Investigative Journalism database for reports of drone attacks. It then creates an incident on a map. Pretty simple, right? But this is a big deal to some people. You might really care if you want to hide the reality of our drone war from the public.

You might also really care if you have received "$9 million in Pentagon contracts in recent years" as has Apple.

Charles Cooper at CNet explains that Apple's app guideline policy is not public (like so much else about the company). But it was once leaked to the public. And it basically says that they will reject apps that are "over the line." But they can't say what that line is. They just know it when they see it.

Apple's fascistic tendencies have long bothered me, but now this is political. This is important. Come on people: Android is better anyway. Get off the fucking Apple IV drip. It's worse than heroin!

And sign the petition now: Roots Action.

(Cross-posted at Frankly Curious.)