Apple Bans DUI Checkpoint Apps 601
An anonymous reader writes "In late March, four US senators banded together and wrote a letter to Apple asking that they remove apps that alert users as to the whereabouts of DUI checkpoints. Now, Apple has revised its app store guidelines to ban those type of 'illegal' apps."
No more apples (Score:4, Interesting)
So glad I ditched apple and went back to pc/android a couple of years ago when this kind of crap started.
What exactly is illegal about those apps? (Score:5, Interesting)
As far as I can tell, the Senators decided to write Apple precisely because there was nothing illegal about those apps. Reporting on police activity isn't illegal - yet, I guess. I'm not entirely surprised that those apps specifically were banned from the app store, because Apple has an interest in keeping legislators off its back and keep up the image of offering a wholesome version of the Internet. At the same time, I'm curious what other apps would fall under this, or if Apple is going to keep this little bit of TOS around only to remove apps that generate too much bad publicity. My guess is it's going to be the latter.
Re:Newpapers? (Score:3, Interesting)
The new ToS are about removing apps that use information that was not publicly available already. The data published by the police is still fine to use. Of course, the troll summary leaves that out to try to paint Apple in as poor a light as possible, but this is slashdot.
So just to be clear, since it appears ALL checkpoints [wikipedia.org] have to be published publicly, therefore NO apps are to be banned?
Or no?
Re:Aside from hype, Apple's real policy... (Score:4, Interesting)
Question: where speeding is (in most cases) not criminal, and the purported goal of speed traps is for safety, not revenue collection, drivers flashing their headlamps achieves the oft-stated goal: getting drivers to slow down. Why should they care if people slow down a couple thousand feet before the speed trap? You would think that if the real purpose of speed traps is to increase safety (study after study after study have consistently demonstrated that speeding in and of itself is not dangerous) then they would encourage ANY means to get drivers to slow down. Calling it obstruction of justice is idiotic because it shows that all they care about is revenue.
People on the road today are idiots - especially here in Massachusetts (there is a reason the word Masshole exists): yield signs mean "cut the other person off," stop signs mean "proceed without stopping or slowing and without checking for traffic," red lights mean "Punch it! You have a three-second grace period" and someone turning on their turn indicators (blinkers in New England nomenclature) is an indication that you are to speed up and not let the person change lanes so that they can't get to their exit. Also, we have our highways backwards: often the leftmost lane is the "drive 55mph in the 60mph|65mph zone and read a book", the middle lane is the one that you never travel in but the one where you cut off everyone who thinks it's the travel lane, and the right lane is the passing lane - and if the right lane is taken, then the breakdown lane becomes the passing lane.
On top of that people have no sense of custom: I've had one batshit insane bitch cuss me out - she signaled to change lanes in front of me, so I quickly flashed my highs twice; this historically means "go ahead you're clear." She didn't change lanes but slowed down. Whatever. So a little further she puts her turn indicator on again so again I flashed my highs and WAVED signaling "go ahead." She didn't change lanes. Well the road narrowed so she pulled behind me, and then coming up to a traffic light she pulls up next to me and starts cussing me out. I told her that I was signaling for her to go ahead and change lanes, and even slowed down to give her more room, and she didn't take it. She continued to cuss me out. I just called her a moron and continued on my way when the light turned green. There are customs on the road - flashing your lights to signal to someone (truckers ESPECIALLY follow this - or used to) to go ahead and pull in front of you; the flashing indicates "you're clear" and when you move over, you signal "thanks" by flashing rear fogs or brake lights (many truck drivers do that to this day, but many do not any more) once you're in your lane. Flashing your highs at oncoming traffic in daylight means "speed trap ahead" - and flashing when you are behind someone in the passing lane (in MA, the slow-down-to-5-10mph-under-the-limit-and-read-a-book-or-eat-your-sub-or-watch-a-DVD-lane) means "please move over I'd like to pass."
When I travel outside of New England, it's refreshing to see that many people recognize and follow rights of way, light signal customs, and all of that.
Anyway, back to the topic: if people signaling gets people to travel "more safely" (ignoring studies on "speeding" - I'm talking about the propaganda about why there are artificially low speed limits and the according speed traps) then why should police departments complain about people slowing down? It just proves that it's about revenue and power, not safety at all.
Re:No more apples (Score:3, Interesting)
While I'm not a big fan of app censorship generally, I don't see the objection to having Apple, Google etc block apps which have no purpose other than letting people drink-drive.