'Explicit' category rumoured to be coming to App Store

[bytor2112]

The adversary has hands in everything....sad.

Several developers have reported seeing a new category appearing in the drop-down menus of iTunes Connect, the platform they use to distribute apps through the App Store. Alongside standard categories, such as "entertainment", "games" and "productivity", is a new tag: "explicit".

Apple has not commented on the rumours, or confirmed whether or not it will be adding an explicit category to the App Store. Some developers are now reporting that this category has been removed from iTunes Connect lists.

[Canuck Mormon]

In a perfect world, there would none of these apps, however, they are here so I would almost prefer this. I check the "Top Free Apps" and there are usually 2-3 apps that should be in that category. My nephews and neices have iPods and they should not be able to see these things.

[Dravin]

Pornography/Adult Entertainment is big money, this is a development that doesn't surprise me in the least.

[hordak]

Pornography/Adult Entertainment is big money, this is a development that doesn't surprise me in the least.

i'm suprized it took so long

[HEthePrimate]

Being somewhat of a Luddite, I don't have an "i-" anything. However, it would surprise me if there weren't already plenty of "explicit" apps out there, roaming wild without their own category. If a category called "Explicit" were created, and consistently applied, it might help those who desire to avoid explicit apps do so more easily, rather like the movie rating system.

HE, the "Chunky Monkey" Primate

[Moksha]

We should shun the explicit and remain vague...

- Moksha's Book of Limited Knowledge, Boiler room, Marriot Center, Provo, Utah 1979

[gabelpa]

By putting things in to an explicit category, it makes it easier to avoid coming across apps with questionable content. Up to now explicit content could be stumbled across in the Entertainment category, or others. By giving this kind of content it's own place to live, parental controls, and more accurate content filtering can be implemented. This way, those who want access to the explicit content can get it, and those that don't want it, don't have to be subjected to it.

I don't know if iTunes does this kind of filtering or controls yet, but with the popularity of the iTunes store, I would be surprised if they didn't.

[Mahone]

At one point someone high up proposed putting all pornography websites into a .XXX top level domain (like .com, .net or .org). The advantage would be that filters would have a far easier job, as filtering content is a nightmare at the moment, and is the bane of any network engineers existence. If only this could be enforced though...

[gabelpa]

At one point someone high up proposed putting all pornography websites into a .XXX top level domain (like .com, .net or .org). The advantage would be that filters would have a far easier job, as filtering content is a nightmare at the moment, and is the bane of any network engineers existence. If only this could be enforced though...

The Internet is uncontrollable, and anyone can set up any site they want and call it what they want. The same is not true of Apple's AppStore.

Each application is given a stamp of aproval before being allowed in to the Apple store. Some crap slips through, and some apps have been denied access for no aparrent reason. I'm not venturing in to jailbroken phones here, just what everyday people can do. Apple is THE only source for applications on the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. There is a monoculture there, and a tightly controlled one at that.

People may make apps, it is true, but they cannot be sold, or installed without Apple's stamp of aproval. Having a dedicated section is considerably better than not having one. Disagreements?

[Mahone]

The Internet is uncontrollable, and anyone can set up any site they want and call it what they want. The same is not true of Apple's AppStore.

Each application is given a stamp of aproval before being allowed in to the Apple store. Some crap slips through, and some apps have been denied access for no aparrent reason. I'm not venturing in to jailbroken phones here, just what everyday people can do. Apple is THE only source for applications on the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. There is a monoculture there, and a tightly controlled one at that.

People may make apps, it is true, but they cannot be sold, or installed without Apple's stamp of aproval. Having a dedicated section is considerably better than not having one. Disagreements?

It's not entirely true that the internet is uncontrollable. Technically it's controllable globally far more than it is now, but politically it's a nightmare and doing so will destroy what we now know as the internet, which is why it hasn't happened. The internet is a mesh network, but there are still central points from which it can in theory be controlled a lot more than it currently is.

Either way I wasn't giving the information as an analogy to what apple were doing, just merely giving some related information. I know that apple have full control over their apps store.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Mahone

[gabelpa]

I could get in to a technological discussion, including things like TOR, and other nifty things, but I won't.

As far as I am concerned, I would much rather the App store had a walled-off area that people could go to get their smut, so I don't have to interact with it. There was a big sweeping ban of something like 5000 explicit apps, including a few that weren't explicit per se. Although, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit app, and the playboy app remained. Sounds more like Apple wants big ticket smut, not the low-end players.

[Mahone]

I could get in to a technological discussion, including things like TOR, and other nifty things, but I won't.

Feel free to if you want, might be good for another thread though, I have a habit of inadvertently taking threads off topic :)

[boyando]

In my own life, the irony is that for me, the bigger the screen, the better.

What struck me as odd, is how the article pointed out that the category is a long time off, if at all. why would you have a problem with a category the describes the product?

[Moksha]

Could they purchase an iExplicit filter from the App Store?

[Still_Small_Voice]

My kids don't have cellular phones, an i-pod or portable visual media. It is too much power to give someone in my opinion.

My daughter asked for an MP3 player and I will likely give her one in the future. I personally hate cellular phones. My wife has one but I think they cost too much.