Apple, this is not even remotely acceptable

[annathepiper]

solarbird has already posted about this, but I’m signal-boosting: she and I heard today via this post by rollick that a particularly repulsive, transphobic app has shown up on the Apple store.

Its whole point is apparently to point and laugh at the “trannies” by letting you insert pictures of “trannies” in allegedly hilarious poses into your own actual photos. Because pointing and laughing at the transgendered is so much of a laugh riot!

(Protip: Not so much.)

I’m quite disgusted by this, and I say this as a geek who’s typing this post as she speaks on her MacBook, and who carries around an indispensable iPhone in her pocket at all times, and who is seriously wondering if she wants an iPad. But this kind of bigoted crap being allowed to get onto the Apple app store is exactly the kind of crap that makes me think that maybe my next computer should be running Linux, and maybe my next phone should be a Droid.

I’ll be calling to voice my displeasure in the morning, to back up Dara on the phone call she’s already made. She has the appropriate number to call in her post, but I’ll echo it here as well: +1 (408) 974-2042.

Please spread the word. Thanks.

Mirrored from annathepiper.org.

Comments

[ariaflame.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure the apps for Droid phones would be more likely to be non-offensive. Do they have anyone controlling what is made available?

Good luck with the complaining.

[annathepiper]

Dara addresses this a bit. The Droid store is a different situation because it's a specifically open store--anybody can post anything. So in that situation, if an offensive app goes up, you can target your anger just at the creators in question, mark the app as offensive/abusive, badly rate it, etc.

With Apple, since the store is tightly controlled, it means somebody had to approve that app going up there. And that's the part that's Apple's responsibility, and is the part that's not at all acceptable.

[solarbird]

As I said in my post: if it were an open platform, I wouldn't be mad at Apple. I'd be mad at the company making the app, the shitheel owners and developers, and the asstard buyers, but not Apple; an open platform is an open platform.

But it's not an open platform. Apple controls everything that can go onto the phone (barring jailbreaking, of course). They approve all applications that go up on the iStore, and they spend a lot of time talking about how offensive applications aren't allowed, there's no pr0n, etc.

But they greenlit this.

That makes it their fault, too.

[ariaflame.livejournal.com]

Or at least their responsibility. And I guess there are idiots in every company. Hopefully responses such as yours will bring it to the attention of people with more clue in the company and it will be removed.

[solarbird]

Indeed! Everything, really, depends upon Apple's reaction.

[xpioti.livejournal.com]

Has this shown up on news sites yet? I'm too braid-dead to go looking. (Look, pretty lights!) Maybe /.?

[annathepiper]

Not to my knowledge, but some of the genderqueer blogs are picking up on Dara's post.

[prettyshrub.livejournal.com]

I sent apple an e-mail. I'll pass this along to folks.

[annathepiper]

Thank you!

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

I'm on hold with them now.

[annathepiper]

Thank you for calling. Much appreciated.

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

See my own journal for the update on how it went. Also some extra info they gave me on how to make even more complaints get through.