When it comes to apps I take a very liberal stance. We fork out a fortune for a smartphone than another fortune for the privilege of calls/texts/internet, so we should have the right to decide what is and isn't a good app for us and what apps to avoid. Companies should approve apps based purely on their quality and stability. Instead of porn is evil, swearing is evil, violence is evil- why doesn't someone create an adult section with age control?
However for once, here is an example of when companies should get involved. The bigoted "gay cure" app: a smart phone application claiming to 'change homosexuality' somehow made it onto the Apple app store, sparking outrage from gay activists. "We believe that being gay is something that is perfectly fine that doesn’t need any fixing," says Drew Wilson, communications manager at The Center, GLBT community of Colorado.
Exodus International launched the Exodus app on February 15th which claims to "provide support for individuals who want to recover from homosexuality." So far more than 145,000 people have signed a petition calling for Apple to remove the so-called "gay cure" app from the iTunes store.
The App is currently unavailable and it seems that, thankfully it has been pulled by Apple. More developers need to push the boundaries of what is acceptable for an application, only then will we see the true potential of the smartphone. But we've got to draw the line at hateful or dangerous apps like this.
It's unbelievable that the app managed to get on the iPhone in the first place. It's not the first questionable app either. Apple have been in hot water recently after approving a 'shake the baby app' it makes you wonder how they check them. Charity donation apps banned, gay hatred app, approved. Come on Apple for the last time; sort it out.