by Juli Clover
Apple does not approve of the “Hot Tub” pornography app that was released for the iPhone in the EU using alternative app distribution, Apple said in a statement to MacRumors. Further, Apple is concerned about the potential user safety risks with a pornography app, and says that it undermines consumer trust in the Apple ecosystem.
We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids. This app and others like it will undermine consumer trust and confidence in our ecosystem that we have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world. Contrary to the false statements made by the marketplace developer, we certainly do not approve of this app and would never offer it in our App Store. The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for user safety.
Apple’s statement references the first native iOS pornography app that is available through AltStore, an alternative app marketplace in the European Union. Apple is required to allow app marketplaces in the EU by the Digital Markets Act, and Apple has little control over the kinds of apps that are distributed through the marketplaces.
In marketing for the app, AltStore referred to Hot Tub as “the first Apple-approved porn app,” and Apple has taken issue with the wording. While all apps distributed outside of the App Store in the EU have to go through Apple’s Notarization process, it only checks for malware, fraud, and other egregious issues. Notarization does not limit content, and apps sideloaded on the iPhone in the EU can have pornography, references to drugs and alcohol, hate speech, and other content that would not be permitted under the App Store rules.
Apple’s Notarization guidelines actually prohibit apps from implying that Apple “endorses any particular representation regarding quality or functionality” of any app or app marketplace in the EU, so AltStore has seemingly violated Apple’s Notarization rules.
Apple wants to make it clear that the Hot Tub pornography app is available because European Commission has forced Apple to allow AltStore and other alternative app marketplaces to exist in the EU, even though Apple has warned multiple times that the DMA would make objectionable, harmful, and illicit content available to consumers.
Apple says that it expressed concerns about the upcoming pornography app in December, but the European Commission hasn’t made a move to stop it from being distributed.
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