Censorship by Apple

Last updated

Censorship by Apple refers to Apple Inc.'s removal, omission, or disruption of the spread of content or information from its services or subsidiaries, such as the iTunes Store and the App Store (iOS), in order to comply with Apple's company policies, legal demands, or various government censorship laws.

Contents

iTunes Books

In 2005, Steve Jobs banned all books published by John Wiley & Sons from the Apple retail stores in response to their publishing an unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs . [1] [2]

The book received criticism for "failing to cohesively and clearly express the opinion of Jobs, linguistic redundancies, and clumsy anecdotes." However, despite the criticisms of the quality of Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon's writing and the attempts to highlight Steve Jobs's "negative" characteristics as a boss and individual, thought leader Dan Sumption admitted that the book was a relatively entertaining view into the life of Steve Jobs. [3]

The iBooks description for Moby-Dick censored the words "sperm whale" as of April 2010. [4]

According to The Daily Telegraph , four erotic books, including Blonde and Wet, the Complete Story, were allegedly removed from the top 10 chart on July 26, 2010. [5]

Northwest Press has had repeated conflicts with Apple's content limitations on sales through the iBooks store. In 2011, an adaptation by Tom Bouden of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest was only approved after the addition of black bars to cover partial male nudity. [6] The technology company initially permitted the individual issues of Jon Macy's Fearful Hunter, but rejected the collected edition, then removed the issues. [7] [8] The satirical Al-Qaeda's Super Secret Weapon was rejected outright. [7] In 2016, Northwest published a self-censored version of Hard to Swallow by Justin Hall and Dave Davenport – covering the "objectionable" parts with images of apples – when the original version was rejected due to sexual content. [9]

iTunes Music

Song censorship

There is a policy of censoring profanity in song titles on iTunes. [10] This has resulted in a Scunthorpe glitch, by which inoffensive titles are censored due to a coincidental string of letters. [11]

If the song has an explicit label, it will be marked "explicit" next to the song title. If a song is marked "explicit" it is unavailable for purchase if "restrict explicit content" is checked under the parental controls preference. Often there will be a "clean" mark next to the title of some songs, meaning the lyrics have been censored, and is available to purchase on all accounts. Generally, if a song is marked "clean" there is an explicit version available as well.

iTunes Podcasts

InfoWars

On August 6, 2018, Apple removed all but one of the podcasts created by InfoWars , a website owned by Alex Jones, a right-wing American conspiracy theorist radio-show host and content creator. Apple cited hate speech as the reason for the removal of the content. [12] [13] Apple's decision to remove this content sparked other major technology companies, including Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and Google, into removing InfoWars content. [12]

Apple TV+

In October 2023, Apple canceled The Problem with Jon Stewart because of editorial disagreements over Stewart's treatment of China and other topics. [14] The cancelation attracted criticism and questions from the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. [15]

App Store

Newspaper and magazine content

In May 2009, Apple rejected the first version of "Newspapers", an iPhone app that let users read content from 50+ newspapers around the world, including The New York Times , France's Le Monde , and the United Kingdom tabloid The Sun . The app was rejected because the topless "Page 3" girls daily features were described as "obscene". A second version of the application was submitted, removing access to The Sun, and adding a price tag of £0.59. The app was made available in the summer, after the release of the iPhone 3.0 software. [16] [17] Another application, of similar nature to 'Newspapers', called 'Eucalyptus' allowed users to download e-books to their iPhone, though was rejected by Apple because one of the e-books that could have been downloaded was the Kama Sutra . The ban has since been lifted. [18]

We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone ... Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone.

—  Steve Jobs [19]

We can't adapt European magazines to the standards of Utah.

— Mathias Müller von Blumencron (editor of Der Spiegel , warning that the news magazine would not alter its content for the App Store) [20]

The App Store has Playboy and Sports Illustrated adult-rated apps that have yet to be removed, while some apps by others were removed citing adult content which has resulted in accusations of hypocrisy. Despite this, adult sites continue to market for iPhone and iPad users. [21] [22] [23] [24] In November 2009, the application of Stern (a mainstream German weekly magazine with a print circulation of about 900,000) was deleted for several weeks without warning. [20] [25] In January 2010, Europe's largest newspaper, German tabloid Bild, removed content from the iPhone version of its print edition at the request of Apple, and later it had to modify one of its applications – like in the Stern case because of nudity. [26] The Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ) warned that with such interventions Apple might be moving towards censorship. [26]

November 26, 2010, an informational magazine about Google's OS from the Danish publisher Mediaprovider was not allowed in the app store. [27]

The Guardian described rejection of explicit content by Apple as analogous to that of the distributor WH Smith, a main distributor which for many years imposed content restrictions on British publishers. Workers at the fashion magazine Dazed & Confused have nicknamed their iPad edition the "Iran edition". [19]

Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoons

In December 2009, Apple banned a cartoon app called NewsToons by cartoonist Mark Fiore, on the grounds that it "ridiculed public figures". [28] [29] In April 2010, Fiore won the Pulitzer Prize for his political satire cartoons, making history as the very first internet-only cartoonist to win the prestigious journalistic prize. [28] [29] [30] Following public outcry after the story broke in the wake of the award, Apple asked Fiore to resubmit his app, and it was subsequently accepted. Fiore said, "Sure, mine might get approved, but what about someone who hasn't won a Pulitzer and who is maybe making a better political app than mine? Do you need some media frenzy to get an app approved that has political material?" [29]

Baby Shaker

In April 2009, a game called Baby Shaker was approved for the App Store then later removed due to complaints. The game allowed the user to shake their phone until an image of a cartoon baby on the screen died. [31]

Nine Inch Nails

In May 2009, Trent Reznor of the rock band Nine Inch Nails announced, via his Twitter account, that Apple had rejected an update to the Nine Inch Nails application due to "objectionable content". [32] The developer posted a message on the Nine Inch Nails discussion boards explaining the situation further:

v1.0 is live. v1.0.3 got rejected due to content yet the app has no content in it. this was mainly a stability release to fix the bug that crashes the app for international users. the bug was fixed 24 hours after 1.0 went live and we have been waiting for apple to approve it ever since. meanwhile the app continues to get a growing number of 1 star ratings from international users understandably frustrated by the bug. but looks like our hands are tied. [33]

Apple later permitted the update. [34]

iPhone eBook

In December 2009, Ted Lando's eBook app "Take Control of iPhone OS 3" was rejected by Apple. The app was not permitted back into the app store until all references to jailbreaking were removed. [35]

Phone Story

In 2011, Apple banned a game called Phone Story that explored the ethical challenges of smartphone manufacturing, including conflict minerals, environmental waste, and troubled labor practices. [36] The game was eventually published on the web by its creator Molleindustria.

Drone strike app

In August 2012, Josh Begley created an iPhone app that sent out a push notification whenever a U.S. military UAV struck a target. The app was rejected because of Apple finding the content "objectionable and crude". [37]

Utilities

On March 11, 2013, HiddenApps was approved and appeared in the App Store. This App provided access to developer diagnostic menus, allowed for stock Apps to be hidden and enabled an opt-out feature for iAds, Apple's developer driven advertisement system. [38]

Educational app

In July 2013, a tech education startup called Treehouse claimed that Apple had refused to let them release an iOS app that contained lessons about Android. [39]

Papers, Please

The video game Papers, Please , centered around the operation of a border checkpoint, was brought to iPad in December 2014, but developer Lucas Pope was forced to remove some pixelated nudity from the game's full-body scanner to be allowed to release the game for Apple devices. [40] After a few days, Pope was permitted to upload a full version of the game to the App Store including pixelated nudity in an apparent reversal by Apple. [40] However, it is still rated 17+ on the App Store. [41]

France Musique app removal

On May 4, 2015, Apple removed the France Musique application from its App store due to the airing of "inappropriate content" in a podcast. [42] The application displayed a painting by Édouard Manet, Olympia, depicting mild nudity. The podcast application was submitted to the App Store again, with a 17+ rating. [43]

Chaos Computer Club videos about security vulnerabilities

In October 2015, Apple rejected a custom streaming application for Apple TV that was created by some members of the Frankfurt branch of Chaos Computer Club, Europe's largest hacker association. The application was meant to show recordings of talks from Chaos Computer Club's conferences. According to a blog post that was written about the incident, Apple's reason was because "some of the videos show how to hack Apple devices".[ citation needed ] The recordings are publicly available and are hosted on YouTube as well. Using the YouTube app still allows playback of the content on Apple devices.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Apple banned the video game The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth from appearing in the iOS App Store due to its cartoon depictions of violence towards children. [44] The game was subsequently accepted in the next year, with a 17+ rating. [45]

Telegram and Telegram X

In February 2018, Apple removed Telegram and Telegram X, encrypted messaging applications made by Telegram Messenger LLP, from the App Store due to content deemed inappropriate. [46] Apple specifically cited instances of child pornography that was made available to users, and subsequently banned the apps until the situation could be dealt with. [47]

InfoWars

Apple removed Infowars app from the App Store in September 2018 citing content that violated their policy against indecent material. [48] [49] Apple's ban simply prevents users from downloading the app, but does not restrict access to those with the app installed. [48] [50]

Tumblr

In November 2018, Apple removed the Tumblr app from the App Store due to Tumblr's failure to filter child pornography. [51] Tumblr uses a database of known child pornography to automatically detect and remove child pornography from their website, however they found evidence of images that were not in the database present on Tumblr. [51] In response to the ban, Tumblr removed the instances of child pornography and has since moved to ban all pornographic material on their platform as of December 17, 2018. [51] [52]

Historical games

In December 2018, Apple removed the strategy game Afghanistan '11 due to the fact that it featured real-life combatants. Slitherine, the developers of the game, countered that the main objectives focused on supporting Afghan civilians rather than defeating the Taliban. This followed a temporary ban of the game Ultimate General: Gettysburg for featuring the Confederate flag in historical context. [53]

HKmap

In October 2019, Apple removed the HKmap.live app from its App Store. HKMap is used to track the locations of protests and police in Hong Kong. Apple stated that the app "allowed users to evade law enforcement". [54]

"Apple takes 30% of this purchase." in Facebook events

In 2020, Apple forced Facebook to remove a message informing users that Apple took a 30% cut of all fees for paid online events. Apple claimed that the notification was against the App Store policy on "irrelevant" information, a position Facebook disagreed with. [55]

In 2021, Apple and Google removed the Navalny app from the App Store and Google Play Store respectively. The app was pulled the day of Russia's parliamentary elections which cause the app's creator, Alex Navalny, and his supporters to claim that the two companies are taking part in political suppression. [56] [57] [58] Apple sent a letter to Navalny's affiliates stating that the app had content that is illegal in Russia. [57]

Censorship by country

The following are instances of censorship and information control imposed by Apple in App Stores other than the United States App Store. Many were imposed due to pressure from foreign governments and were put into effect to comply with laws. The restrictions, however, are applied even after the user moves to another country, unless they change the region of their Apple ID, which requires cancelling existing subscriptions and setting up a new payment method. [59]

China

As early as 2015, Apple shut off its News app inside China. [60]

In 2017, Apple removed apps from the Chinese App Store that allowed users to access content forbidden by the Chinese government. Many of these apps gave users access to virtual private networks that could allow them to circumvent the Great Firewall of China. Apple did not cite any Chinese laws, but claimed that the apps broke the laws of their local governments. Among the apps removed was VyprVPN, an app by Golden Frog, a company which had filed an amicus brief supporting Apple during the FBI–Apple encryption dispute. Apple is the first foreign global technology company to concede to the Chinese government's demands. [61]

Apple removes VPNs from the Chinese App Store in order to comply with the Chinese government and stay in the market. [62] [63] The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, stated that if they censor now, the rules for censorship in China may relax. [62]

In 2018, Apple restricted the emoji of the flag of the Republic of China on devices used in mainland China. [64] The same year, Apple removed the Voice of America app in China at the behest of the Cyberspace Administration of China. [65]

In 2018, Apple's restrictions on sending the word "Taiwan" or sending an emoji representing the flag of Taiwan on iDevices using a Chinese country code or language settings caused the devices to crash. [66] [67] [68]

Artists who reference the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre have had some or all of their music removed from iTunes, including Jacky Cheung Hok-yau and Tat Ming Pair. [69]

In July 2020, Apple removed 3,300 unlicensed games from Chinese App Store. [70]

In December 2020, Apple removed 48,000 unlicensed games from Chinese App Store. [71] Removed apps included Asphalt 8: Airborne, Grand Theft Auto, and Fruit Ninja.

In 2021, Apple removed a Quran app and a Bible app from the China App Store. [72] [73] Apple also removed a popular daily prayer app for Muslims from China. [74] The Jehovah's Witnesses' app was removed in May 2020. [75]

In October 2022, following the Beijing Sitong Bridge protest, Apple released an update which limited the AirDrop functionality on iPhones and iPads purchased in China, changing the option of "Receive from Everyone" to "Everyone for 10 minutes". [76]

In November 2022, Apple removed the TaiwanPlus app from the China App Store. [77]

In August 2023, Apple removed the AI apps from Chinese App Store. [78]

In April 2024, Apple removed Threads, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal from the Chinese App Store. [79]

Iran

In February 2017, Apple restricted payment services in Iranian apps to comply with U.S. sanctions that forbade Iranian currency from entering the United States. [80] The Iranian apps responded by implementing an Iranian electronic payment service. [80]

In August 2017, Apple removed many Iranian apps from the App Store citing U.S. sanctions placed on Iran. [80] While Apple has neither stores in Iran nor specific versions of the App Store for the country, Iranian citizens are able to get access to Apple products and content from external sources. [80] Apple removed many apps developed specifically for Iranians, including a ride-sharing service called Snapp, and a food delivery service called DelionFoods. [80]

Russia

In May 2018, Apple played a role in the censorship of Telegram, an encrypted messaging app used globally. [81] [82] Interested in surveying the encrypted messages, the Russian government demanded Telegram provide decryption keys to their Federal Security Service. [81] [82] When Telegram refused, the Russian Government threatened Apple with legal repercussions if they did not block Telegram from the Russian App Store and eliminate the push notification feature. [81] [82] The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has publicly claimed Apple has restricted Telegram users across the world from updating their app; an action that could cause problems for Telegram's ability to meet regulations. [82]

Taiwan

In August 2021, Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto found that Apple censors engravings in Taiwan related to the Chinese Communist Party, mainland Chinese state bodies, and Falun Gong. [83] [84]

See also

Related Research Articles

Google and its subsidiary companies, such as YouTube, have removed or omitted information from its services in order to comply with company policies, legal demands, and government censorship laws.

iPhone Line of smartphones by Apple Inc.

The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at Macworld 2007, and launched later that year. Since then, Apple has annually released new iPhone models and iOS versions; the most recent models being the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, and the higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. As of January 1, 2024, more than 2.3 billion iPhones have been sold, making Apple the largest vendor of mobile phones in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet censorship</span> Legal control of the internet

Internet censorship is the legal control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet. Censorship is most often applied to specific internet domains but exceptionally may extend to all Internet resources located outside the jurisdiction of the censoring state. Internet censorship may also put restrictions on what information can be made internet accessible. Organizations providing internet access – such as schools and libraries – may choose to preclude access to material that they consider undesirable, offensive, age-inappropriate or even illegal, and regard this as ethical behavior rather than censorship. Individuals and organizations may engage in self-censorship of material they publish, for moral, religious, or business reasons, to conform to societal norms, political views, due to intimidation, or out of fear of legal or other consequences.

Corporate censorship is censorship by corporations. It is when a spokesperson, employer, or business associate sanctions a speaker's speech by threat of monetary loss, employment loss, or loss of access to the marketplace. It is present in many different kinds of industries.

iOS Mobile operating system by Apple

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple exclusively for its devices. It was unveiled in January 2007 for the first-generation iPhone, which launched in June 2007. Major versions of iOS are released annually; the current stable version, iOS 18, was released to the public on September 16, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">App Store (Apple)</span> Mobile app distribution platform by Apple

The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and some can be transferred to the Apple Watch smartwatch or 4th-generation or newer Apple TVs as extensions of iPhone apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumblr</span> Microblogging and social networking website

Tumblr is a microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog.

iOS jailbreaking is the use of a privilege escalation exploit to remove software restrictions imposed by Apple on devices running iOS and iOS-based operating systems. It is typically done through a series of kernel patches. A jailbroken device typically permits root access within the operating system and provides the right to install software unavailable through the App Store. Different devices and versions are exploited with a variety of tools. Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the end-user license agreement and strongly cautions device owners not to try to achieve root access through the exploitation of vulnerabilities.

iPad Line of tablet computers by Apple

The iPad is a brand of iOS- and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed and marketed by Apple. The first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. Since then, the iPad product line has been expanded to include the smaller iPad Mini, the lighter and thinner iPad Air, and the flagship iPad Pro models. As of 2022, over 670 million iPads have been sold, making Apple the largest vendor of tablet computers. Due to its popularity, the term "iPad" is sometimes used as a generic name for tablet computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple Books</span> E-book application by Apple

Apple Books is an e-book reading and store application by Apple Inc. for its iOS, iPadOS and macOS operating systems and devices. It was announced, under the name iBooks, in conjunction with the iPad on January 27, 2010, and was released for the iPhone and iPod Touch in mid-2010, as part of the iOS 4 update. Initially, iBooks was not pre-loaded onto iOS devices, but users could install it free of charge from the iTunes App Store. With the release of iOS 8, it became an integrated app. On June 10, 2013, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Craig Federighi announced that iBooks would also be provided with OS X Mavericks in Fall 2013.

MiKandi is a defunct mobile adult software applications store. Developed by MiKandi LLC, a formerly Seattle-based company, MiKandi was the world's first mobile porn app store. The store sought to get around restrictions placed on adult content by Apple Inc. by releasing the third-party application store on Google's Android open-source operating system and offering an HTML5 web-based application for all touch devices.

Flipboard is a news aggregator and social network aggregation company based in Palo Alto, California, with offices in New York, Vancouver, and Beijing. Its software, also known as Flipboard, was first released in July 2010. It aggregates content from social media, news feeds, photo sharing sites, and other websites, presents it in magazine format, and allows users to "flip" through the articles, images, and videos being shared. Readers can also save stories into Flipboard magazines. As of March 2016 the company claims there have been 28 million magazines created by users on Flipboard. The service can be accessed via web browser, or by a Flipboard application for Microsoft Windows and macOS, and via mobile apps for iOS and Android. The client software is available at no charge and is localized in 21 languages.

Submissions for mobile apps for iOS are subject to approval by Apple's App Review team, as outlined in the SDK agreement, for basic reliability testing and other analysis, before being published on the App Store. Applications may still be distributed ad hoc if they are rejected, by the author manually submitting a request to Apple to license the application to individual iPhones, although Apple may withdraw the ability for authors to do this at a later date.

iCloud Cloud storage and cloud computing service by Apple

iCloud is a cloud service operated by Apple Inc. Launched on October 12, 2011, iCloud enables users to store and sync data across devices, including Apple Mail, Apple Calendar, Apple Photos, Apple Notes, contacts, settings, backups, and files, to collaborate with other users, and track assets through Find My. It is built into iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, and visionOS. iCloud may additionally be accessed through a limited web interface and Windows application.

WeChat or Weixin in Chinese ; lit. 'micro-message') is a Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018 with over 1 billion monthly active users. WeChat has been described as China's "app for everything" and a super-app because of its wide range of functions. WeChat provides text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many) messaging, video conferencing, video games, mobile payment, sharing of photographs and videos and location sharing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet censorship in Russia</span>

In Russia, internet censorship is enforced on the basis of several laws and through several mechanisms. Since 2012, Russia maintains a centralized internet blacklist maintained by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor).

Censorship of the iTunes Store refers to external attempts at blocking access to digital content distributed through the iTunes Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telegram (software)</span> Cross-platform instant messaging service

Telegram Messenger, commonly known as Telegram, is a cloud-based, cross-platform, social media and instant messaging (IM) service. It was originally launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android on 20 October 2013. It allows users to exchange messages, share media and files, and hold private and group voice or video calls as well as public livestreams. It is available for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and web browsers. Telegram offers end-to-end encryption in voice and video calls, and in optional private chats, which Telegram calls Secret Chats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Censorship of TikTok</span> Restriction of access to TikTok by governments and organizations

Many countries have imposed past or ongoing restrictions on the video sharing social network TikTok. Bans from government devices usually stem from national security concerns over potential access of data by the Chinese government. Other bans have cited children's well-being and offensive content such as pornography.

References

  1. ↑ Hafner, Katie (April 30, 2005). "Steve Jobs's Review of His Biography: Ban It". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2006.
  2. ↑ Orlowski, Andrew (April 27, 2005). "Book giant feels wrath of Jobs". The Register . Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  3. ↑ Sumption, Dan. "Review of iCon - Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business by Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon". Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Apple iBooks Censors 'Sperm'?". HuffPost . June 5, 2010. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  5. ↑ Blake, Heidi (June 27, 2010). "Apple accused of censorship after porn disappears from iPad book chart". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Gay Comics Publisher Declares Victory Over Apple". Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News. August 15, 2011. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Gay Comic Publisher Undaunted by Apple's iBook Censorship". December 21, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Northwest Press Defies Apple Censorship of LGBT Content | Comic Book Legal Defense Fund". cbldf.org. December 23, 2014. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Northwest Press Protests iBooks Ban With 'Apple Version'". Comics Alliance. June 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  10. ↑ The songs that are too rude for iTunes Archived December 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , Michael Cragg, The Guardian October 27, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  11. ↑ "iTunes glitch censors song titles, Friday 24 October 2008". October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  12. 1 2 Nicas, Jack (August 6, 2018). "Alex Jones and Infowars Content Is Removed From Apple, Facebook and YouTube". No. Aug. 6, 2018. The New York Times Company. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  13. ↑ Nicas, Jack (August 7, 2018). "Gatekeepers or Censors? How Tech Manages Online Speech". No. Aug. 7, 2018. The New York Times Company. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  14. ↑ Goldman, David (October 20, 2023). "Jon Stewart's show on Apple is over because of disagreements about China". CNN . Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023. CEO Tim Cook made a surprise visit to China last week to drum up sales for Apple's products and government support for the company's manufacturing operations in the country. So a potentially critical look at China on Stewart's show, streamed by Apple, may not have sat well with the consumers and officials Cook is hoping will help boost Apple's bottom line in the region.
  15. ↑ Zengerle, Patricia; Martina, Michael (November 15, 2023). "US lawmakers question Apple over Jon Stewart's China content". Reuters . Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Sun's 'obscene' Page 3 girls get iPhone newspaper app banned by Apple". Guardian. London. May 6, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  17. ↑ Sherwood, James (May 5, 2009). "Apple bans Page 3 from iPhone app". Reghardware.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  18. ↑ Logged in as click here to log out (May 24, 2009). "Apple backtracks over ban on ebook application Eucalyptus | Technology | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. London. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  19. 1 2 Jack Schofield (May 10, 2010). "Wikipedia's porn purge, and cleaning up for the iPad". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Pfanner, Eric (March 14, 2010). "Publishers Question Apple's Rejection of Nudity". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 30, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  21. ↑ MG Siegler (February 23, 2010). "Apple, There's Pornography On My iPhone. The App Is Called Safari. You Made It". TechCrunch . Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Gay iPorn - IPhone ready site". Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  23. ↑ Kincaid, Jason (February 20, 2010). "The New App Store Rules: No Swimsuits, No Skin, And No Innuendo". TechCrunch . Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  24. ↑ Charles "Zan" Christensen (May 24, 2010). "iPad Publishing No Savior for Small Press, LGBT Comics Creators". Prism Comics . Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  25. ↑ Goebel, Markus (March 29, 2010). "Europe's biggest publisher embraces the WePad". Techcrunch . Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  26. 1 2 Mercedes Bunz: German publisher in row with Apple over pin-ups in iPhone app Archived February 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine The Guardian , March 9, 2010
  27. ↑ "Apple bans Android magazine app - Apple 2.0 -Fortune Tech". Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  28. 1 2 Paul, Ian (April 16, 2010). "Apple Rejects Pulitzer Prize Winner's App". PC World. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  29. 1 2 3 Stelter, Brian (April 16, 2010). "A Pulitzer Winner Gets Apple's Reconsideration". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Slashdot Apple Story | Apple Blocks Cartoonist From App Store". Slashdot. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Baby Shaker Game Causes Outrage | BBC". BBC News. April 24, 2009. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  32. ↑ trent_reznor. "Trent Reznor (trent_reznor) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  33. ↑ "NIN iPhone app rejection". Forum.nin.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Apple Allows NIN App Update". Uk.i4u.com. May 11, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  35. ↑ "Rejected By Apple". Mac Observer. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  36. ↑ Dredge, Stuart (September 14, 2011). "Apple bans satirical iPhone game Phone Story from its App Store". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Apple bans 'drone strike' app". Infosecurity Magazine. August 31, 2012. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  38. ↑ "HiddenApps Allows iAds Opt-Out Without Jailbreak". akufu.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Treehouse Branches Out to the iPad with a New App". July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  40. 1 2 Pope, Lucas (December 12, 2014). "Apple forces nude immigrants to cover up in iPad version of Papers, Please". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on December 12, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  41. ↑ "Papers, Please on the App Store". App Store. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Apple a depublié l'appli @francemusique pour cause de contenus adultes". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Censurée par Apple, France Musique va classer " + de 17 ans " son application En savoir plus sur". Le Monde. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  44. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (February 7, 2016). "Apple's gaming censorship continues: The Binding of Isaac blocked from App Store". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  45. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (January 11, 2017). "The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is out now on iOS". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  46. ↑ Warren, Tom (February 1, 2018). "Telegram temporarily removed from Apple's App Store due to 'inappropriate content'". The Verge. Vox Media, Inc. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  47. ↑ Statt, Nick (February 5, 2018). "Apple removed Telegram from the App Store over distribution of child pornography". The Verge. Vox Media, Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  48. 1 2 Nicas, Jack (September 7, 2018). "Alex Jones's Infowars Is Removed From Apple's App Store". The New York Times. No. Sept. 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  49. ↑ Etienne, Stefan (September 7, 2018). "Apple just permanently banned Infowars from the App Store". The Verge. Vox Media, Inc. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  50. ↑ Bowden, John (September 7, 2018). "Apple bans Infowars app from store: report". The Hill. CAPITOL HILL PUBLISHING CORP. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  51. 1 2 3 Porter, Jon (November 20, 2018). "Tumblr was removed from Apple's App Store over child pornography issues". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  52. ↑ Stampler, Laura (December 3, 2018). "Tumblr to Ban 'Adult Content.' Some Users Aren't Happy". Fortune. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  53. ↑ Hall, Charlie (December 6, 2018). "Afghanistan '11, game with US and Taliban forces, removed from app store". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Apple bans Hong Kong protest location app". BBC News. October 3, 2019. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019.
  55. ↑ Lee, Timothy B. (August 28, 2020). "Apple won't let Facebook tell users about 30-percent Apple tax on events". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  56. ↑ Wayt, Theo (September 17, 2021). "Apple, Google block Alexei Navalny's app in act of 'political censorship'". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  57. 1 2 Roth, Andrew (September 17, 2021). "Apple and Google accused of 'political censorship' over Alexei Navalny app". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  58. ↑ Cichowlas, Ola (September 17, 2021). "Google, Apple 'Censor' Navalny App As Russian Polls Open". International Business Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Change your Apple ID country or region". November 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  60. ↑ Fung, Brian (October 12, 2015). "China welcomes Apple's iPhones. Its News app? Not so much". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  61. ↑ Mozur, Paul (July 29, 2017). "Apple Removes Apps From China Store That Help Internet Users Evade Censorship". The New York Times. No. Jul. 29, 2018. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  62. 1 2 Shaban, Hamza (August 2, 2017). "Why Tim Cook's conciliatory approach in China is likely to fail: Experts says China, eager to prop up its domestic tech industry, may move to tighten censorship restrictions even more". ProQuest   1925690523.
  63. ↑ Rauhala, Emily (August 2, 2017). "Apple, Amazon help China curb the use of anti-censorship tools: Apple's chief defended the move as necessary to remain in the Chinese market, but activists worry about fewer options to beat censors". ProQuest   1925752291.
  64. ↑ Horwitz, Josh (April 12, 2018). "You can't use the Taiwan flag emoji on a Chinese iPhone". Quartz. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  65. ↑ Kan, Michael (April 22, 2022). "FCC Commissioner Urges Apple to Stand Up to China's Censorship". PCMag . Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  66. ↑ Goodin, Dan (July 10, 2018). "iPhone crashing bug likely caused by code added to appease Chinese gov't". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  67. ↑ Wardle, Patrick (July 10, 2018). "A Remote iOS Bug". objective-see llc. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018.
  68. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (July 10, 2018). "Apple's China-Friendly Censorship Caused an iPhone-Crashing Bug". Wired . Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018. Since at least early 2017, iOS has included that Chinese censorship function: Switch your iPhone's location setting to China, and the Taiwanese flag emoji essentially disappears from your phone, evaporating from its library of emojis and appearing as a "missing" emoji in any text that appears on the screen. That code likely represents a favor from Apple to the Chinese government, which for the last 70 years has maintained that Taiwan is a part of China and has no legitimate independent government.
  69. ↑ "Outspoken folk rock singer Li Zhi disappears as China tightens grip ahead of Tiananmen anniversary". South China Morning Post. June 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  70. ↑ Sheng, Wei (July 3, 2020). "Apple purges 3,300 games from China App Store in 2 days · TechNode". TechNode. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  71. ↑ Sheng, Wei (December 9, 2020). "Apple to remove all unlicensed games from China App Store · TechNode". TechNode. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  72. ↑ Clayton, James (October 15, 2021). "Apple takes down Koran app in China". BBC News . Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  73. ↑ Hamilton, Isobel Asher. "Apple took down a Quran app and a Bible app in China on the request of Chinese officials". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  74. ↑ "Muslim Pro Muslim Prayer Times – Apple Censorship". Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  75. ↑ "JW Library – Apple Censorship". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  76. ↑ Filipe Espósito (November 9, 2022). "Apple to restrict 'Everyone' option in AirDrop to 10 minutes in China with iOS 16.1.1". 9to5mac.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022.
  77. ↑ "TaiwanPlus removed from Apple's China App Store, website blocked". Focus Taiwan . November 11, 2022. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  78. ↑ Dong, Cheyenne (August 2, 2023). "Apple widely removing generative AI apps from China's App Store · TechNode". TechNode. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  79. ↑ "Apple takes down WhatsApp, Threads from China app store". Radio Free Asia . April 22, 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  80. 1 2 3 4 5 Erdbrink, Thomas; Goel, Vindu (August 24, 2018). "Apple, Citing U.S. Sanctions, Removes Popular Apps in Iran". The New York Times. No. Aug. 24, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  81. 1 2 3 Liao, Shannon (May 29, 2018). "Russia asks Apple to remove Telegram from the App Store". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  82. 1 2 3 4 Satariano, Adam; Nechepurenko, Ivan (May 31, 2018). "Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute With Russia". The New York Times. No. May 31, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  83. ↑ Kwan, Campbell (August 19, 2021). "Citizen Lab finds Apple's China censorship process bleeds into Hong Kong and Taiwan". ZDNet . Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  84. ↑ Knockel, Jeffrey; Ruan, Lotus (August 18, 2021). "Engrave Danger: An Analysis of Apple Engraving Censorship across Six Regions". Citizen Lab . Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.