Apple seeks to expand censhorship

Criticism surrounding Apple's recent anti-smut campaign has continued to build, as the German publishing giant Axel Springer views the censorship as going too far, according to a Spiegel report. Axel Springer prints Bild, a daily newspaper which also provides its content through an iPhone app. The tabloid has produced another iPhone app, Shake the Bild Girl, that is the source of ongoing disagreement with Apple.

The Bild Girl is a standard feature in the daily newspaper. The app was initially designed to allow users to undress the girl by shaking their iPhone. Apple already pushed the company to remove the already-pixelated nudity, disrobing the girl down to a bikini instead of completely bare skin.

Donata Hopfen, head of digital media at Bild, claims that Apple's "guidelines on erotic content" are nothing more than censorship. Hopfen also believes Apple is arbitrarily strengthening its guidelines over time, with policies that should be viewed as a "curtailing of press freedoms" for European media outlets.

Axel Springer is currently pushing the Federation of German Newspaper Publishers to take action. "Today it is naked breasts," she says. "Tomorrow it could be editorial content."

Along with the bikini additions for the interactive Bild Girl, Apple has also asked the publisher to remove the pixelated nudity from the PDF version of the print paper that would be available through a link in the app. Many developers have criticized Apple for censoring or removing apps that simply link to 'offensive' content that pales in comparison to pornography easily available through the iPhone's Safari browser.

As the policies regarding offensive content continue to tighten, Apple has also been bashed for inconsistencies in enforcement. While Bild Girl is viewed as too raunchy, most developers doubt the company will pull Playboy's app.

It is unclear what action, if any, the Federation of German Newspaper Publishers might take to fight back against the ongoing censorship. [via Gizmodo]

by MacNN Staff