Week after week, Apple sees controversy swirl around its App Store like no other smartphone maker. Yet again, the controversy has focused on pornographic content  .
The latest application to attempt to make its way into the App Store is called BeautyMeter. The app lets iPhone and iPod touch users view user-submitted images of men and women, then rate them based on anatomy and clothing. One image up for rating was of a topless 15-year-old girl. Apple booted the application on Thursday.
But that wasn't the first time a pornographic application made its way through Apple's approval process. The App Store has a policy that prohibits pornography or explicit content of any kind.
Last week, Apple removed an application called Hottest Girl because it published photos of topless women. In both cases, the applications got by the approval process because the developers slipped in the nude pictures after the program was vetted.
Controversial Apps
The list of applications Apple has rejected continues to grow. In some cases, Apple initially approved an application, only to ban it later. In others, Apple originally banned the application and then accepted it after a firestorm of negative publicity. Still others were rejected for good.
In May, Apple rejected the Me So Holy App for having "objectionable" content. The application let iPhone users choose their religion, take a picture of themselves, and insert their face in a messianic image, among other religious scenes. Users could also add a message and e-mail their personalized Jesus to friends or upload it to Facebook. Hindu figures, priests and nuns were also available.
Apple initially approved and later removed the controversial Baby Shaker application in April. Sikalosoft developed Baby Shaker, which featured a drawing of a crying baby, and the object of the game was to get the baby to stop crying. This was accomplished by shaking the iPhone until red Xes appeared over the baby's eyes. Apple apologized for allowing it into the store.
The iPhone maker also banned an e-book reader called Eucalyptus because it allows users to search for and download the Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text considered the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature. Eucalyptus lets users pull content from Project Gutenberg, a Web site that hosts public-domain books. The developer went on a tirade against Apple, which eventually allowed the application into the store.
Apple's Censorship Dilemma
According to Mike Disabato, a senior analyst at the Burton Group, these types of controversies spring up when companies decide to protect people from themselves, despite freedom of speech.
When companies approve or reject applications that can run on their devices, they may protect people from installing applications that could damage their hardware -- but they also run the risk of capitulating to what business partners want instead of standing up to them, Disabato said.
"What's Apple going to do when gamers want Grand Theft Auto on an iPhone? Stop it because it's violent?" Disabato asked. "If you are going to stop that application because it's violent, even though it's in incredibly bad taste, then you have to stop all the other violent applications. Where do you draw the line?"
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