Nude image search gets popular photo sharing app 500px pulled from App Store
Apple on Tuesday pulled both 500px and ISO500 due to a claimed breach of App Store rules regarding pornographic material, effectively cutting off new user access to the popular photo sharing apps tailored to professional photographers and artists.
The apps' removal, as reported by TechCrunch, came early Tuesday morning following a late-night discussion between 500px and Apple over an app update that was flagged for violating App Store policy. The app has been in the App Store for over 16 months.
500px is a well-designed and long-standing app accompaniment to the online photography community of the same name. The company's Chief Operating Officer Evgeny Tchebotarev said the iOS versions have amassed over one million downloads, with 500px yielding almost one million, while the newly acquired ISO500 accounts for over 200,000.
When an update to the flagship 500px was submitted to Apple a few days ago, a reviewer flagged the app for objectionable content. Ultimately, the company found it was too easy to find nude photos through the built-in search function and consequently pulled the app this morning.
"The app was removed from the App Store for featuring pornographic images and material, a clear violation of our guidelines," an Apple spokesman said in a statement to The Next Web. "We also received customer complaints about possible child pornography. We?ve asked the developer to put safeguards in place to prevent pornographic images and material in their app."
According to Tchebotarev, 500px already comes with a safeguard against the unwanted search of nude photos. When new users download the app, the default settings are set to "safe search" mode that filters out nude images. In order to lift safe search, users must leave the app and make changes to their account settings on the company's desktop website.
?Some people are mature enough to see these photos,? Tchebotarev said, ?but by default it?s safe.?
Further, 500px does not allow photos deemed "pornographic" in nature onto its service. Tchebotarev noted that all nude photos are artistic and can be defined as art, not pornography.
The apps' removal, as reported by TechCrunch, came early Tuesday morning following a late-night discussion between 500px and Apple over an app update that was flagged for violating App Store policy. The app has been in the App Store for over 16 months.
500px is a well-designed and long-standing app accompaniment to the online photography community of the same name. The company's Chief Operating Officer Evgeny Tchebotarev said the iOS versions have amassed over one million downloads, with 500px yielding almost one million, while the newly acquired ISO500 accounts for over 200,000.
When an update to the flagship 500px was submitted to Apple a few days ago, a reviewer flagged the app for objectionable content. Ultimately, the company found it was too easy to find nude photos through the built-in search function and consequently pulled the app this morning.
"The app was removed from the App Store for featuring pornographic images and material, a clear violation of our guidelines," an Apple spokesman said in a statement to The Next Web. "We also received customer complaints about possible child pornography. We?ve asked the developer to put safeguards in place to prevent pornographic images and material in their app."
According to Tchebotarev, 500px already comes with a safeguard against the unwanted search of nude photos. When new users download the app, the default settings are set to "safe search" mode that filters out nude images. In order to lift safe search, users must leave the app and make changes to their account settings on the company's desktop website.
?Some people are mature enough to see these photos,? Tchebotarev said, ?but by default it?s safe.?
Further, 500px does not allow photos deemed "pornographic" in nature onto its service. Tchebotarev noted that all nude photos are artistic and can be defined as art, not pornography.
Comments
According to Kurt Vonnegut the difference between nude art and pornography is presence of... pubic hair.
Wankers.
Without any more info that this article I would say this is one Apple should take a second look at and change their decision.
Originally Posted by DeanSolecki
Wankers.
I thought they were trying to prevent that.
I think the difference in how Apple might be held liable. In the case of an internet search engine no one seems to blame the browser or OS maker, or even that Google is copying the internet without permission, but since 500px is only had via the App Store Apple's lawyers, hypothetically, may have felt they could be held responsible for the content being funneled through that app.
Or lack thereof
Are we starting to outlaw apps that display tacky lawn ornaments next?
Grown up people are responsible for their own actions, if Apple can't enforce app ratings it's their problem, they shouldn't punish app users and providers for it, particularly as long as mobile Safari craps out at 8 open pages...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abracadabra
According to Kurt Vonnegut the difference between nude art and pornography is presence of... pubic hair.
He was joking.
Excepting the erroneous opinion of religious prudes (mostly located in the United States), nudity and pornography have never been the same thing.
The original definition of pornography is that it must be highly offensive to the point of believing that it actually damages society to view it. Historically this has never included plain old simple nudity (nudity with no agenda), except recently, mostly with religious groups, and mostly in America.
Pretty much every single minute of one of those "Saw" movies for example falls under the original, historical definition of pornography, but an entire movie about a nudist colony with acres of close up nudity in every scene would not.
Maybe if there was more sex there would be less violence.
[quote]The app was removed from the App Store for featuring pornographic images and material, a clear violation of our guidelines. We also received customer complaints about possible child pornography. We’ve asked the developer to put safeguards in place to prevent pornographic images and material in their app.[/quote]
Maybe we should get the whole story before we tar and feather Apple.
EDIT: I guess you have to replace *********** with 9to5Mac's url.
Fair enough.
HA!
K.
Moving right along . . .
how does your comment add to the discussion? it doesn't. please delete it, seeing as how you're a global moderator & administrator and that's what you do.