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Signal boost: Oh good, look what Apple’s endorsed

By on • ( 7 )

This is even worse than it sounds: an app for iPhone called Peekaboo Tranny [googlecache (may be NSFW)] Unless you’re feeling an acute need to bolster your misanthropic impulses for the day, do NOT go looking for their twitter account.

Solarbird notes, in relation to Apple not being an open development platform (all content, including apps, must be Apple-approved):

One of the risks of exercising this kind of control is that if you do it, you’re effectively endorsing all the applications put online on that store. You’re exercising editorial control, and you’re making judgement calls.

As commentor arjache writes,

this is pretty clearly in violation of section 14 of the App Store guidelines if you want a specific section to cite:

14. Personal attacks

14.1 Any app that is defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely to place the targeted individual or group in harms way will be rejected
14.2 Professional political satirists and humorists are exempt from the ban on offensive or mean-spirited commentary

US Phone Number: Apple Public Relations: +1 (408) 974-2042

Here in Australia: Jesse James, Public Relations Manager Tel: +61 2 8987 8264

Call them, and please reblog. Make some noise.

h/t a protected tweet account – you know who you are!

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Categories: ethics & philosophy, social justice, technology

Tags: , ,

7 replies

  1. queen emily
    2010-10-29 • 8:28 AM

    Cheers for that. Charming innit?

  2. tigtog
    2010-10-29 • 9:19 AM

    More at Bilerico project, where a commentor points out that the photos are more accurately photos of drag queens, who may or may not identify as trans, and thus is an even bigger clusterfuck of Stereotype Fail.

  3. Annaham
    2010-10-29 • 2:49 PM

    The contact email for PR (at least in the U.S.) is media.help@apple.com , if people want to email instead.

  4. Julie
    2010-10-29 • 7:34 PM

    I sent my complaint to http://developer.apple.com/contact/
    About this and another problematic app. Text below. Co-written by my equally horrified co-worker K.

    Hi, I was just viewing iTunes and stumbled across a couple of totally inappropriate Apps.
    One is by Spendthrift Studios, “Design Your Dream Asian Girl”, it states in the title. This is inappropriate firstly because it is rated age 9+, it objectifies asian women and is generally distasteful and not in keeping with the iTunes reputation that I have to come to expect from Apple.
    The other app is Peekaboo Tranny by chip-n-cake. This is problematic for a number of reasons. Firstly the name, it is derogatory. Then is the fact that some of the women pictured are in fact probably drag queens. Are you aware that some of the worst violence committed (sexual or otherwise) is against transsexuals and men who dress as women? This app is enabling people to profile potential victims. And it’s rated at 12+
    Who rates these things?? These two apps are so incredibly inappropriate and rude and offensive and not in keeping with the iTunes reputation.
    I would appreciate if you could remove or at least make it inaccessible to children as it is currently rather worrying that it is so available.
    Regards,
    Julie

    I hopefully will get a non-form response. 😀

  5. Peta
    2010-10-30 • 11:03 AM

    The offensive “Peekaboo Tra**y” app has been removed by Apple after complaints.

    • tigtog
      2010-10-30 • 2:38 PM

      Yes! – I just doublechecked on my iTunes and it’s definitely gone. They are complaining about it on Twitter, of course.
      * You people honestly don’t have even an ounce of frivolous humor?
      * thanks girl. I wish people could pick issues that are actually issues rather than make new ones put of nothing.
      * the intention was fun and adorable pics. If we wanted to offend and bash, we would have made ‘peekaboo palin’
      I don’t have a problem with drag queen entertainers wanting to create an app with “fun and adorable pics”. I do have a problem with them using a transphobic slur to market it. What part of this is so hard for the developers to understand?