I’m almost too used to this sort of thing from Apple to be angry anymore. For whatever reason Apple and their moral sensibilities rule the App Store with an iron fist. An inconsistent iron fist but it’s still their fist and when it hits you it’s damn hard…
ok I think I confused myself with that metaphor, so let’s get to the point.
An iPhone/Touch application that is designed to control another application on your mac, has been banned because someone “might” use it to do something illegal with it.
The App in question is Drivetrain. It’s an app designed to connect your iphone to your Apple computer to remotely control a program that is legal to run on your Apple computer called transmission.
Now transmission is an application for downloading and uploading files distributed via bit torrent, the much maligned file transmission system that is adept at transferring large files over the internet without breaking it.
Bit torrent doesn’t not have to be used for piracy. In fact millions of bits of legal data transfer over it every day. World of Warcraft updates and transferred via bit torrent. Revision 3 IPTV content can be gotten over bit torrent, just about ever version of Linux is primarily distributed over bit torrent. But of course it also happens to be the primary distribution method of pirated TV, Movie, Music, & Software.
So Apple has banned this application because it is used to control another Mac based application for downloading files via bit torrent. Because it “might be” or it “could be” used to control another application that could download copyrighted materials. Note, Drivetrain does no such downloading itself.
Pssst, hey Apple. If that’s the case, then maybe you ought to consider banning Safari & Email from your device. Yes the most used application on the iPhone and iPod Touch, you mobile web interface, Safari can be used to do all sorts of illegal things.
Child Port, Identity Theft, Phishing, Hacking, viewing copyrighted materials & more can all be done from your own applications.
I realize it’s your closed service and you are not obligated to provide any sort of fairness in your locked distribution system. But still, I think whomever is in charge of making the final decision on stuff like this, should at least be properly educated on the subjects and policies they are trying to enforce.
*sigh*
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