This is what I don't like the most about Apple. Censorship!
They have no business telling us what we're supposed to read or consume.
When will they see the light?
Censorship?
Under what constitution or Bill of Rights do you reside? Certainly not the one* adored by the peoples of the United States of America. Unless you have a different interpretation from the Supreme Court of the United States.
Why the hell would Apple want to be involved in the distribution of classified gov't information?
... and, besides, every person on this forum has their own line drawn in the sand... and I call bullshit if you say you're completely open... so, by the standard set by those crying censorship, they themselves are censors... either that or please say everything that comes to your mind no matter where you are and no matter who you're with at the time... by the way, the psych wards are full of them... which is exactly what Apple is trying to prevent (imo)... being sent to the public psych ward.
Just comes to show how Apple really cares about it's users obiously freedom of speech isn't one of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
An iPhone application that offered access to illegally leaked classified government documents from the site WikiLeaks has been removed from the App Store by Apple.
The application "WikiLeaks App" advertised that it gave "instant access to the world's most documented leakage of top secret memos and other confidential government documents." It sold for $1.99, and was originally approved by Apple and made available for sale on the App Store on Dec. 17.
Though Apple has not formally given a reason for removing the application, it joins a number of major U.S. corporations that have attempted to stand in the way of WikiLeaks, including Amazon, which stopped hosting data on its "Web Services" business, and PayPal, which blocked funding to the organization.
The application also charged $1.99 for content that is freely available on the Internet, though the creator of the software, Igor Barinov, wrote in a comment on TechCrunch that he was only keeping about 30 cents per sale.
"Main idea of semicharity is to collect 'white' money to support grey stuff," he wrote. "And from every 1.99$ - 1$ will go to @wikileaks, 0.6$ to fruits company (obligation), and last to cover development costs and to support other free internet projects (or in different way, defined by voting feature in Wikileaks App 2.0)."
It's also possible that the application's "donations" to WikiLeaks were considered in violation of Apple's own publicly published App Store Review Guidelines. The rules state that "Apps that include the ability to make donations to recognized charitable organizations must be free," and "the collection of donations must be done via a website in Safari or an SMS."
In September, Apple relaxed its App Store review policies and published its official guidelines for developers to see. The frankly written document had statements like "we don't need any more fart apps," and that it didn't want the App Store to turn into "amateur hour."
Let us not forget that Apple is an American company, and that even staunch supporters of the Democrats sit well to the right of centrist parties in most world-leading democracies.
The rest of us are astounded at the hubris of the US in assuming its laws somehow apply to everyone everywhere. An Australian living in Scandinavia is being sought by US authorities for what would be an illegal act if committed by a US citizen in the US. Julian Assange meets neither of those tests. So rendition flights seem set to continue under Obama... Good luck with that.
Despite what border guards might tell you north of Tijuana, the rest of the world is not falling over itself to live in America's top-down gun-slinging variation on democracy. And we can find Wikileaks without our iPads. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays from Aotearoa New Zealand.
I do not care how that material was obtained we have the right to read it..it is supposed to be a free country(usa is a dictatorship we cannot read what is not approved by the gov)...
Your tax return is a government document, too. Just go ahead and post it since we all apparently have a right to see and read it.
appalled at the morons who are up in arms regarding assange yet seem to not care about what was actually contained in the leaks and what it means.
EXACTLY!
Talk about morons shooting the messenger.
The US government is breaking all sorts of laws and acting against the best interests of it's people - and the discussion is about Assange.
Apple shows it wants to be big brother by using its influence to censor free speech - and the discussion is about Assange.
And you wonder why the empire is sick and dying?
Apple is wrong to position itself 'above' the Constitution. But what big company doesn't these days. I can't wait for the wiki leaks regarding the banking industry... The real reason the US is working so hard to censor all media streams.
Your tax return is a government document, too. Just go ahead and post it since we all apparently have a right to see and read it.
Why stop there... health records, emails, every damn thing on your computer...
I know that these guys who cry censorship expect Steve to come down from his office and march along Main Street with them singing Kum Ba Ya and wearing a "Screw the Government" sign... but it aint going to happen... while in the position of CEO of Apple Steve is more interested in making money for his company.
So it's just a case of who you believe. I know where I stand.
The one thing that I don't understand is why Assange isn't being pursued for the Wikileaks but rather some rape charge from years ago. I can't find any information on whether he was being pursued for this alleged rape prior to the WikiLeaks. Why aren't our journalists or TV networks asking these sorts of questions. We need a balanced view before we jump to conclusions. Unfortunately Assange isn't given the airtime. And we talk about innocent until proven guilty.
An iPhone application that offered access to illegally leaked classified government documents from the site WikiLeaks has been removed from the App Store by Apple.
I suggest Apple removes the NYT app, too, because that's where you can read all of WikiLeaks as it's being published.
Of course I do. Likewise, I'm sure that you understand that this whole WikiLeaks exercise has put many individuals at needless risk, not to mention the extra (though clearly not quantifiable) risk that the rest of us now must bear because of things that should have been left as secret no longer are.
appalled at the morons who are up in arms regarding assange yet seem to not care about what was actually contained in the leaks and what it means.
Which is who, exactly? Those of us who pay close attention to the news know that very little in the released documents qualifies as a true revelation. There's very little "meaning" in the documents, except that it puts in blunt back-channels language what anyone who cared to know, already knew. And it puts the US on the defensive, which to some qualifies as an inherently good thing.
I'm not pro or against WikiLeaks. I could understand if there's a mass petition to move the app but this look like Apple just decided to move it themselves.
This kind of behavior will not end with WikiLeaks.
Knock it off - you just don't have any ground to stand on here.
Apple is not censoring WikiLeaks, or infringing your rights. The material that Assange & Company published is so widely available on the internet that you can access it through any web browser. Want to access it from your iOS device? Safari will do the job amiably well. That's not censorship, and you aren't being harmed.
I usually think that cries of "censorship!" over app rejections are way overdone.
But this may be the first time I think it's a valid complaint. While Apple may have every legal right to do it, this type of censorship is not in the best interests of society.
Having said that, even if Apple didn't want to take it down, they may not have had much choice. The US government is at war with wikileaks, and the US government is no longer constrained by legal, ethical, or moral considerations when it goes to war. heck, the US government is no longer even "constrained" by enlightened self-interest. George Bush uncorked a genie that Obama can't put back in the bottle (even if he wants to, and it's not clear that he does).
This is NOT censorship. If you load up safari tomorrow and try to go to wikileaks, and you get a message from Apple telling you they think the content is objectionable and they don't want you to view it, THAT is censorship. This is not. Any logical individual can see that they aren't infringing your rights in the least.
Who elected him, and gave him the right to waive his hand, and wipe out the concept of privacy in communications, and of classified information?
What gives King Julian the right to make that decision for a government representing 308 million people? If you put it up for a vote, the *vast* majority of Americans would want to protect sensitive communications between ambassadors, diplomats, etc. But King Julian disagrees, and so he imposes his own view of how the world should work on the rest of us.
If King Julian really believed in transparency, and had a commitment to democracy, he would create a foundation that promoted the idea of 100% transparency in government communications, and then he would endorse candidates who would embrace that platform, and promise to change our laws if voted into office.
But oh no, that's too much work for Julian. Too much risk that other people won't agree with his own extreme ideas of how the world should work. No, it's just easier for Julian the Benevolent to impose his enlightened view on us all, ignoring whether we think it's so enlightened after all.
And of course, King Julian does this without giving the public 100% transparency into his own communications. Do we know everything he says to his lawyers? Does he share with us all his communications with the Wikileaks team? Has he made every email he's written available for public scrutiny? Of course not. King Julian knows that his enemies could use that information against him. He wouldn't want that. It's only the King's place to judge what information should and shouldn't be shared. King Julian, in his infinite wisdom, has decreed that the U.S. is an enemy of democracy, so its information must be shared freely to keep it "honest". But King Julian is the friend of democracy, so there is no need to see his communications! He is honest by his inherent nature!
For all of you losers whining about Big Brother (the U.S. government, Apple, etc.), why don't you take the lead and promise to make ALL of your communications public? Your business plans for new products you're working on, and that your livelihood depends on. Your most sensitive communications with your spouse or your family members. Your home alarm's security code. Etc. etc.
Of course you wouldn't do that. And if that information happened to be stolen and openly published against your wishes, I bet you would cry foul. You'd scream about your privacy being violated, and the damage it's doing to you.
Comments
Censorship is something that only comes from government, not a private company.
People can confirm that by looking it up in the dictionary that Apple supplies with every Mac they sell.
This is what I don't like the most about Apple. Censorship!
They have no business telling us what we're supposed to read or consume.
When will they see the light?
Censorship?
Under what constitution or Bill of Rights do you reside? Certainly not the one* adored by the peoples of the United States of America. Unless you have a different interpretation from the Supreme Court of the United States.
* It's all here: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/cha...stitution.html
Why the hell would Apple want to be involved in the distribution of classified gov't information?
... and, besides, every person on this forum has their own line drawn in the sand... and I call bullshit if you say you're completely open... so, by the standard set by those crying censorship, they themselves are censors... either that or please say everything that comes to your mind no matter where you are and no matter who you're with at the time... by the way, the psych wards are full of them... which is exactly what Apple is trying to prevent (imo)... being sent to the public psych ward.
An iPhone application that offered access to illegally leaked classified government documents from the site WikiLeaks has been removed from the App Store by Apple.
The application "WikiLeaks App" advertised that it gave "instant access to the world's most documented leakage of top secret memos and other confidential government documents." It sold for $1.99, and was originally approved by Apple and made available for sale on the App Store on Dec. 17.
Though Apple has not formally given a reason for removing the application, it joins a number of major U.S. corporations that have attempted to stand in the way of WikiLeaks, including Amazon, which stopped hosting data on its "Web Services" business, and PayPal, which blocked funding to the organization.
The application also charged $1.99 for content that is freely available on the Internet, though the creator of the software, Igor Barinov, wrote in a comment on TechCrunch that he was only keeping about 30 cents per sale.
"Main idea of semicharity is to collect 'white' money to support grey stuff," he wrote. "And from every 1.99$ - 1$ will go to @wikileaks, 0.6$ to fruits company (obligation), and last to cover development costs and to support other free internet projects (or in different way, defined by voting feature in Wikileaks App 2.0)."
It's also possible that the application's "donations" to WikiLeaks were considered in violation of Apple's own publicly published App Store Review Guidelines. The rules state that "Apps that include the ability to make donations to recognized charitable organizations must be free," and "the collection of donations must be done via a website in Safari or an SMS."
In September, Apple relaxed its App Store review policies and published its official guidelines for developers to see. The frankly written document had statements like "we don't need any more fart apps," and that it didn't want the App Store to turn into "amateur hour."
Would you support Apple in providing an iPhone app that displayed your credit card and social security information illegally obtained by a hacker?
I don't think your analogy is apt.
Censorship?
Under what constitution or Bill of Rights do you reside?
Feel free to change the word to any one you like. Big brother. 1984. Etc. Or anything less over the top. Happy?
The rest of us are astounded at the hubris of the US in assuming its laws somehow apply to everyone everywhere. An Australian living in Scandinavia is being sought by US authorities for what would be an illegal act if committed by a US citizen in the US. Julian Assange meets neither of those tests. So rendition flights seem set to continue under Obama... Good luck with that.
Despite what border guards might tell you north of Tijuana, the rest of the world is not falling over itself to live in America's top-down gun-slinging variation on democracy. And we can find Wikileaks without our iPads. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays from Aotearoa New Zealand.
I do not care how that material was obtained we have the right to read it..it is supposed to be a free country(usa is a dictatorship we cannot read what is not approved by the gov)...
Your tax return is a government document, too. Just go ahead and post it since we all apparently have a right to see and read it.
appalled at the morons who are up in arms regarding assange yet seem to not care about what was actually contained in the leaks and what it means.
EXACTLY!
Talk about morons shooting the messenger.
The US government is breaking all sorts of laws and acting against the best interests of it's people - and the discussion is about Assange.
Apple shows it wants to be big brother by using its influence to censor free speech - and the discussion is about Assange.
And you wonder why the empire is sick and dying?
Apple is wrong to position itself 'above' the Constitution. But what big company doesn't these days. I can't wait for the wiki leaks regarding the banking industry... The real reason the US is working so hard to censor all media streams.
Your tax return is a government document, too. Just go ahead and post it since we all apparently have a right to see and read it.
Why stop there... health records, emails, every damn thing on your computer...
I know that these guys who cry censorship expect Steve to come down from his office and march along Main Street with them singing Kum Ba Ya and wearing a "Screw the Government" sign... but it aint going to happen... while in the position of CEO of Apple Steve is more interested in making money for his company.
And they don't have to make it easy for you to read materials that were illegally obtained
Really? And you know this for sure?
It's my understanding the documents were handed over by people working within these departments who clearly don't like what's going on.
There was a documentary on ITV last week and Assange was interviewed by John Pilger
http://www.johnpilger.com/dvds/the-war-you-dont-see-uk-
So it's just a case of who you believe. I know where I stand.
The one thing that I don't understand is why Assange isn't being pursued for the Wikileaks but rather some rape charge from years ago. I can't find any information on whether he was being pursued for this alleged rape prior to the WikiLeaks. Why aren't our journalists or TV networks asking these sorts of questions. We need a balanced view before we jump to conclusions. Unfortunately Assange isn't given the airtime. And we talk about innocent until proven guilty.
An iPhone application that offered access to illegally leaked classified government documents from the site WikiLeaks has been removed from the App Store by Apple.
I suggest Apple removes the NYT app, too, because that's where you can read all of WikiLeaks as it's being published.
Bet they don't have the guts to cut-off the NYT.
Excellent point. Many people just love to jump down Apple's throat at the slightest opportunity without even thinking first.
This is very true. It's Apples bat and ball.
EXACTLY! I can't wait for the wiki leaks regarding the banking industry... The real reason the US is working so hard to censor all media streams.
bingo!
Of course I do. Likewise, I'm sure that you understand that this whole WikiLeaks exercise has put many individuals at needless risk, not to mention the extra (though clearly not quantifiable) risk that the rest of us now must bear because of things that should have been left as secret no longer are.
At risk from who/what?
appalled at the morons who are up in arms regarding assange yet seem to not care about what was actually contained in the leaks and what it means.
Which is who, exactly? Those of us who pay close attention to the news know that very little in the released documents qualifies as a true revelation. There's very little "meaning" in the documents, except that it puts in blunt back-channels language what anyone who cared to know, already knew. And it puts the US on the defensive, which to some qualifies as an inherently good thing.
I suggest Apple removes the NYT app, too, because that's where you can read all of WikiLeaks as it's being published.
Bet they don't have the guts to cut-off the NYT.
Last I heard, the New York Times was not in fact running "all" of the WikiLeaks documents.
I'm not pro or against WikiLeaks. I could understand if there's a mass petition to move the app but this look like Apple just decided to move it themselves.
This kind of behavior will not end with WikiLeaks.
Knock it off - you just don't have any ground to stand on here.
Apple is not censoring WikiLeaks, or infringing your rights. The material that Assange & Company published is so widely available on the internet that you can access it through any web browser. Want to access it from your iOS device? Safari will do the job amiably well. That's not censorship, and you aren't being harmed.
I usually think that cries of "censorship!" over app rejections are way overdone.
But this may be the first time I think it's a valid complaint. While Apple may have every legal right to do it, this type of censorship is not in the best interests of society.
Having said that, even if Apple didn't want to take it down, they may not have had much choice. The US government is at war with wikileaks, and the US government is no longer constrained by legal, ethical, or moral considerations when it goes to war. heck, the US government is no longer even "constrained" by enlightened self-interest. George Bush uncorked a genie that Obama can't put back in the bottle (even if he wants to, and it's not clear that he does).
This is NOT censorship. If you load up safari tomorrow and try to go to wikileaks, and you get a message from Apple telling you they think the content is objectionable and they don't want you to view it, THAT is censorship. This is not. Any logical individual can see that they aren't infringing your rights in the least.
Who elected him, and gave him the right to waive his hand, and wipe out the concept of privacy in communications, and of classified information?
What gives King Julian the right to make that decision for a government representing 308 million people? If you put it up for a vote, the *vast* majority of Americans would want to protect sensitive communications between ambassadors, diplomats, etc. But King Julian disagrees, and so he imposes his own view of how the world should work on the rest of us.
If King Julian really believed in transparency, and had a commitment to democracy, he would create a foundation that promoted the idea of 100% transparency in government communications, and then he would endorse candidates who would embrace that platform, and promise to change our laws if voted into office.
But oh no, that's too much work for Julian. Too much risk that other people won't agree with his own extreme ideas of how the world should work. No, it's just easier for Julian the Benevolent to impose his enlightened view on us all, ignoring whether we think it's so enlightened after all.
And of course, King Julian does this without giving the public 100% transparency into his own communications. Do we know everything he says to his lawyers? Does he share with us all his communications with the Wikileaks team? Has he made every email he's written available for public scrutiny? Of course not. King Julian knows that his enemies could use that information against him. He wouldn't want that. It's only the King's place to judge what information should and shouldn't be shared. King Julian, in his infinite wisdom, has decreed that the U.S. is an enemy of democracy, so its information must be shared freely to keep it "honest". But King Julian is the friend of democracy, so there is no need to see his communications! He is honest by his inherent nature!
For all of you losers whining about Big Brother (the U.S. government, Apple, etc.), why don't you take the lead and promise to make ALL of your communications public? Your business plans for new products you're working on, and that your livelihood depends on. Your most sensitive communications with your spouse or your family members. Your home alarm's security code. Etc. etc.
Of course you wouldn't do that. And if that information happened to be stolen and openly published against your wishes, I bet you would cry foul. You'd scream about your privacy being violated, and the damage it's doing to you.
Hypocrits....