Apple's war on porn?

Apple is waging war on smut. Without warning, the firm has apparently banned iPhone applications with "overtly sexual content" from its iTunes App Store. Explicit pornographic apps have been verboten for some time, but this latest move targets sex-themed apps. While some say Apple is simply cleaning up its act ahead of the launch of the family-friendly iPad, the move has caused uproar in the tech community, with many accusing the firm of censorship. Has Apple gone too far, or is its sex ban justified?

This is straight up puritanism: The apps store was already "squeaky clean," writes Nick Farrell at Fudzilla. The "risqué applications" subject to this latest ban simply feature "bikini models," not porn. What's next, "women's ankles"? We understand that Apple wants the iPad to be sold to "families and schools," but that doesn't mean "adopting right wing puritan values."

"Apple starts purge of iPhone applications"

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It's a business decision: It might seem "prudish," but Apple's "porn purge" is actually a "smart business move," says Jeff Bertolucci at PC World. The iTouch is already "wildly popular" with kids, and now Apple wants the iPad to become a "study tool" for high schoolers. It has to "squash the impression" that the App store is a "haven for smut" if it wants parents to buy iPads for their kids.

"Why Apple's Porn Purge is a Smart Move"

But where will the censorship end? This sets a "scary precedent," says Jason Kincaid at Techcrunch. Apple is already "one of the world's largest gatekeepers to content," and that will only expand with the launch of the iPad. What happens if it applies this "policy shift" to cover all the "books and magazines" it will publish? Will it ban "NC-17" rated movies because of a few complaints? Or classic books with "sexual content"?

"Apple Ban Sex"

Apple risks stifling its economy: This is a "stupid" business decision, says Patricio Robles at Ecoconsultancy. If apps can be banned "without warning or explanation", developers may rethink "future investments". The app store should be a "sovereign nation" in which developers are "private business owners" - not a "Stalin-like" regime which "puts them out of business" on a "whim."

"Sex sells, except in the App Store"