'Apple made me a porn addict' says US lawyer suing tech giant
Chris Sevier files a complaint in federal court after pornography addiction causes failure of marriage
A TENNESSEE lawyer is suing Apple for allegedly making him a pornography addict after he mistakenly typed 'F***book' instead of 'Facebook' into Google and ended up on an adult website, leading to an "unwanted addiction with adverse consequences", including the failure of his marriage.
Chris Sevier, an attorney from Nashville, has filed a complaint against Apple in federal court for making devices that are able to display pornographic images, says Abovethelaw.com. The 36-year-old believes that Apple should sell all products with an pre-installed filter that blocks all pornography. Sevier argues that the images he saw when he accidentally found himself at F***book - a hook-up site for people looking for casual sex - "appealed to his biological sensibilities as a male".
The disintegration of Sevier's marriage is listed among the consequences of his ensuing pornography addiction. Alleging 'unfair competition', Sevier complained he became "totally out of synch in his romantic relationship with his wife" as a consequence. He blamed pornography for leading to his desire for young porn actresses instead of his wife, who, he points out, "was no longer 21".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sevier says his failed marriage caused "emotional distress to the point of hospitalisation". He added that he could not tell the difference between internet pornography and actual intercourse after viewing content accessed through Apple products, which Sevier says, "failed to provide him with warnings of the dangers of online pornography".
The 50-page, error-ridden complaint was not limited to Sevier's own suffering. The laissez-faire attitude to easy-access porn is hurting "mom-and-pop porn shops", Sevier claims, who compares the availability of pornography with the illegal downloading of illegal music and film.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is international law falling apart?
Today's Big Question Conflict in Gaza is testing the strength of the two intergovernmental courts in The Hague
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Junior newsletter
Spark new conversations with your child - every week
By The Week Published
-
'Florida's abortion law leads to "chaos"'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Apple kills its secret electric car project
Speed Read Many of the people from Project Titan are being reassigned to work on generative AI
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of virtual reality
Pros and cons The digital world is expanding, for better and for worse
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The Apple Vision Pro's dystopian debut
Why everyone's talking about Is "spatial computing" the next big thing?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why Apple's carbon-neutral claims may be misleading
Speed Read The company isn't disclosing all the information, a new report alleges
By Devika Rao Published