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Apple takes down unofficial WikiLeaks iPhone App
Ricardo Trejo
Is there no one who will come out unaffected by this whole Wikileaks mess? Apple may have wanted to stay out of it but now they’re right smack in the middle all because they took down one single iPhone app. But this wasn’t just not any app - Oh no, it was the unofficial Wikileaks iPhone app.
The app in question is called “Wikileaks App” — a cached Google page of the app can be seen here — developed by Hint Solutions, a Russian based firm who has no official ties to Wikileaks, but vowed to donate $1.00 to the whistleblower organization every time the app was downloaded - which it was over 4,000 times.
The app was released not but three days ago, and yet here we are talking about Apple taking it down after they had already gone through the approval process. The reason for the app’s removal?
Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman cleared up the mystery by revealing that the app had violated the developer’s guidelines. “Apps must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or group in harm’s way,” Muller added.
But again, why was this even approved in the first place? It’s not like it was a surprise to Apple as to what the app was meant to do - providing mobile access to Wikileaks as well as the @wikileaks Twitter stream.
However, now that they’ve made their position known, will Apple be targeted and put on the “Operation Payback” blacklist of sites who have abandonded access to Wikileaks; such as Amazon, Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard? Only time will tell, but I don’t think that Steve Jobs and the rest of the Cupertino gang have thought this one through.
