May
22
2009
Apple has decided to get into the censoring business. It refuses to approve the Eucalyptus ebook reading application because you can view a Project Gutenberg book on there about sex! It’s not like Apple hasn’t approved ebook reading applications with the same power before: Stanza, Bookshelf, and Kindle. Further, there are far more naughty books that can be bought and viewed with existing Apple applications including books about butt sex and orgies.
Apple is said to be reading a device that might shock and awe the reading crowd but the reading crowd hates censorship. Just don’t do it.
That’s such a thin, senseless excuse for why Apple would reject this app, it makes me wonder if there’s a deeper reason behind it. Although the developer’s communications with them appear fairly straightforward (if nonsensical.) The censorship aspect is bad enough, but the stupidity and almost deliberate refusal to comprehend the nature of the app and its functional similarity to Stanza, eReader, etc, makes me nuts.
My first thought was that this is about competition more than morality, and I see that the EFF may agree with me.
This isn’t the first instance of this I have heard about.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10144025-37.html
This is why ereaders should steer clear of incest with content providers.