Apple Censors the Dictionary - The UpStream

Apple Censors the Dictionary

posted Sunday Aug 9, 2009 by Scott Ertz

Apple Censors the Dictionary

We all know Apple's app approval process is a little less than straightforward. We see apps all the time that are declined for sometimes no reason at all. For example, the Google Voice app, which was declined with no reason stated. Today, I bring you Ninjawords, a dictionary app. Simple, harmless, educational; all these words can be used to describe Ninjawords. That, and vulgar!

Apple actually rejected the dictionary because it contained "objectionable material." Now, there are a few things to consider here. First of all, these are words. Words are in the dictionary. Period. Second, Apple has its own dictionary built into its MacOS, and a quick search pulls up all of the "objectionable content" that made this app so unpleasant. Third, did I mention it is a DICTIONARY?!

Anyway, at the end of the day, the developer had to remove all of the words that could be considered objectionable. Some words also have a normal, everyday meaning, but that didn't matter. If you are a new carpenter and standing at Home Depot and just can't remember what you are looking for, don't expect your iPhone to tell you that you are there to purchase a screw. It isn't in the dictionary because it is dirty. Very dirty.

What do you guys think? Is this crazy, or is it too early on Sunday for me to be writing?

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