Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: apple, iphone, app, healthcare | Themes: The Internet, Smartphones, Business, 3GSM
Apple denied an application due to its "politically charged" content.
An application developer for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch platforms is claiming that the company rejected his health care app--iSinglePayer--due to political reasons, calling it "politically charged." 22-year-old Stanford computer science grad student Red Daily said that he submitted the app back on August 21 and was thus rejected--via a phone call from an Apple representative--on September 26 based on the politically charged verdict.
"Apple informed Floatopian (which is pretty much just me) that iSinglePayer was rejected in part because it was the product of a lone developer," Daily said on his blog. "There are applications developed for particular political candidates, like the official Obama application, but since those have the official support of a politician they are acceptable. When a single developer wants to voice his opinions, Apple censors it. Unless, of course, you can pawn your propaganda app off as news."
According to the application description, iSinglePayer promotes single-payer health care reform by providing charts and bullet points based on single-payer health care systems. The application also provides means for users to calculate and call local congressperson using the GPS, and even displays the amount of money donated to each congressperson from the health sector.
Based on the application's description, Apple may have a point in its "politically charged" denial. Still, Daily is calling the company out on censorship, claiming that the company is providing a megaphone to politicians by making it harder on single-paying consumers to compare health care costs around the world. Perhaps if Daily had not included funding information, Apple may not have felt so inclined to reject the app in the first place. Does this iPhone app sound "politically charged?"
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Seriously, stop with the play by play on the apple app store. It's a privately owned store they can accept or deny anyone or anything. Much like the McDonald's no shoes no shirt no service policy.
Apple is right.
Apple is the Devil, momma says so!
Finally... Apple does something that I can get behind wholeheartedly!
Apple can do what it wants. Sounds like an interesting app though. America could use some more fact apps. Especially, when it comes to politics.
No part of Apple is a "private store". Apple is a publicly traded company, so keep the facts straight.
No part of Apple is a "private store". Apple is a publicly traded company, so keep the facts straight.
Just because you are on Wall Street does not mean the general public owns you like the Government.
Apple is a private company that is traded on Wall Street. Their not owned by the White House... yet! If they were then you would have a valid point.
Does anyone else find it ironic that the person is upset that the single decider (Apple) bans an app that promotes a single payer /decider for health care?
I wonder if there is a lesson here?
I'll bet Apple has its own charts that show allowing Apple to have complete control make it better too.
Why am I starting to not care about stupid apple app news any more.... Apple still has yet to hook me in to buying one of their products. I don't own one single thing made by Apple. Maybe tom's needs a separate web site for apple products for people who care about overpriced stuff from this company lol.
btw apple is only publicly owned if public stocks are over 51% and I somehow doubt that is the case. I think I looked it up a year ago and found out that like 4 large companies own controlling share of the stock and that makes it not public.
I don't get it, you all like Apple telling you what you should or shouldn't see? I don't know about you all, but I am smart enough to formulate my own opinions on things in a logical way and I don't need Apple stepping in and deciding that I am not capable of figuring it out on my own if an app is worthwhile or not. I guess that is one reason that I don't have an iPhone.
I don't get it, you all like Apple telling you what you should or shouldn't see? I don't know about you all, but I am smart enough to formulate my own opinions on things in a logical way and I don't need Apple stepping in and deciding that I am not capable of figuring it out on my own if an app is worthwhile or not. I guess that is one reason that I don't have an iPhone.
They aren't deciding what you should and shouldn't see. They are deciding what they do and do not want to carry in their store. I don't see the problem with that.
I do find it interesting that the developer called his own app a "Propaganda App".
Apple's developers agreement specifically states that anyone from the general public can create an app for the iPhone, so the fact that the app was created by a lone developer is not a valid reason. Apple never told developers that apps could be rejected because Apple doesn't like them. This is the one and only reason that Apple is rejecting apps from its store. Apple is required to play by the rules of their own developers agreement. If they want to change the agreement then they need to post the changes on their website where developers can see the changes.
This is a valid news story!
If you could install the app without using their store then it wouldn't be a problem. The fact is they control what you can and cannot see on YOUR device, and censorship is censorship.
The app was not rejected for technical reasons (which I think would be a fair criteria to ensure smooth running of the device), it was rejected for reasons of a political opinion.
(I do not live in America, and have no qualified opinion of your healthcare system...)
If you are OK with censorship on a device you own then so be it...
By the way, anyone against government run healthcare is a moron. The USA's healthcare is as bad as a third world country. Countries suchas Canada and Germany have the best healthcare in the world.
nothing new its just apple and the bs. them trying to rule the world.
The app was not rejected for technical reasons (which I think would be a fair criteria to ensure smooth running of the device), it was rejected for reasons of a political opinion.(I do not live in America, and have no qualified opinion of your healthcare system...)If you are OK with censorship on a device you own then so be it...
No, censorship would be the deliberate supression of information. Not wanting to associate with something because of its content is a fundamental right of people and companies.
By the way, anyone against government run healthcare is a moron. The USA's healthcare is as bad as a third world country. Countries suchas Canada and Germany have the best healthcare in the world.
You do not know what you're talking about. Consider this: Americans have better survival rates than Europeans for common cancers. Americans have lower cancer mortality rates than Canadians. Americans have better access to treatment for chronic diseases than patients in other developed countries (and that's the dirty little secret of single-payer care: rationing). Lower income Americans are in better health than comparable Canadians. Americans spend less time waiting for care than patients in Canada and the UK. People in countries with more government control of health care are highly dissatisfied and believe reform is needed (just look at the controvery in Canada over private clinics that have sprung up in defiance of the law, and how people are flocking to them). Americans are more satisfied with the care they receive than Canadians (the dissatisfaction comes from the insurance companies... that comes from lack of competition... that is the fault of government regulation). Americans have much better access to important new technologies (like medical imaging) that patients in Canada or the UK. Americans are responsible for the vast majority of ALL health care innovations.
Had enough yet? Or are you going to bring up the often quoted infant mortality rate? Just in case you were thinking about it, I will point out that the US has a significant problem with illegal immigration. They come into the country, they don't get prenatal care, and then go to the emergency room when it's time to have their babies. Furthermore, our infant mortality stats are compiled by CMS and they include ALL infant deaths from preterm through 1 year of age. Most of the other countries who report infant mortality statistics do NOT include pre-term infant mortality where the baby was below a certain weight. They also have a much shorter period of include post-term (like several weeks or months). So they also fail to capture many post-term deaths that CMS includes in our statistics.
Apple is politically challenged
As an expert on health reform I can say without hesitation that this application is nothing more than biased political propraganda intended to distort the truth about health care reform. Therefore, I applaud the actions of Apple and will continue to purchase their excellent products.
Also lost in this argument is that its not the QUALITY of the care that is causing problems, its the COST of the care for some that do. The system is getting bogged down by politicians (of every stripe and ilk) and insurance and medical companies being in bed with each other, and giving especially insurance companies laws that favor them over the consumer. It should be elected officials conscientiously monitoring companies for unfair practices and fostering competition. Also, how can so bad of a "medical system" produce more than double the rest of the worlds Nobel peach prizes?
America is about Life, Liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. Note our founding fathers knew better than to try to say that Good Health is a fundamental right since that is simply impossible to attain.
By the way, anyone against government run healthcare is a moron. The USA's healthcare is as bad as a third world country. Countries suchas Canada and Germany have the best healthcare in the world.
Go live in Europe and live us American's free to live. It's liberal like you that have destroyed this once great country
let apple do what they want, what they do or apps a person might submit does not change or alter my views any one way or the other, i have my informed opinion and i will let it stay there, they are a company and what they do internally is up to them, if you agree or disagree its not your decision, it is theirs, and i hope it stays that way, they should be able to run things the way they want as long as it's not braking trade laws or discriminating based on gender,nationality, handicap, etc. if they don't want to post app that is fine, seems no different to me than microsoft, sony, or nintendo not approving a game for their console or selling their devkits to allow a company to make games for their systems, and no one seems to have much of a problem with them. i am not an apple fan, i actually hate apple products because i have had crap luck with them, iPods, iMacs, and my old macbook all failed in some way, but i will still defend them as a company, they have every right to do what they are doing with their app store.
They're just mad you didn't have to shake a baby to access the app. That's why Apple shot it down.
Honestly, Apple has the choice to accept or deny ANY app they wish. They are a company, no matter what stocks are where (I could care less honestly) whoever is in charge of the company has free choice. They could ban ANY app they wanted, and only accept communist themed apps if they wanted. Granted this would attract a good amount of governmental disapproval, but they can do it by all means. Stop complaining if you don't like it, put it in the jail-broken store, or go somewhere else.
You do not know what you're talking about. Consider this: Americans have better survival rates than Europeans for common cancers. Americans have lower cancer mortality rates than Canadians. Americans have better access to treatment for chronic diseases than patients in other developed countries (and that's the dirty little secret of single-payer care: rationing). Lower income Americans are in better health than comparable Canadians. Americans spend less time waiting for care than patients in Canada and the UK. People in countries with more government control of health care are highly dissatisfied and believe reform is needed (just look at the controvery in Canada over private clinics that have sprung up in defiance of the law, and how people are flocking to them). Americans are more satisfied with the care they receive than Canadians (the dissatisfaction comes from the insurance companies... that comes from lack of competition... that is the fault of government regulation). Americans have much better access to important new technologies (like medical imaging) that patients in Canada or the UK. Americans are responsible for the vast majority of ALL health care innovations.Had enough yet? Or are you going to bring up the often quoted infant mortality rate? Just in case you were thinking about it, I will point out that the US has a significant problem with illegal immigration. They come into the country, they don't get prenatal care, and then go to the emergency room when it's time to have their babies. Furthermore, our infant mortality stats are compiled by CMS and they include ALL infant deaths from preterm through 1 year of age. Most of the other countries who report infant mortality statistics do NOT include pre-term infant mortality where the baby was below a certain weight. They also have a much shorter period of include post-term (like several weeks or months). So they also fail to capture many post-term deaths that CMS includes in our statistics.
You actually believe the false propoganda that the USA media has been spouting? Nothing the media has said in the past about government run healthcare has any factual basis. Lower income Americans do not have better healthcare than the rest of the world because they can't afford it.
So are you saying that the poor do not have access to health care in the USA? You mean that we don't have a Medicaid program? Why do we have so many Mexican illegal immigrants using are free health care system? It is obvious you are either a liar or plain stupid. Which is it?
You actually believe the false propoganda that the USA media has been spouting? Nothing the media has said in the past about government run healthcare has any factual basis. Lower income Americans do not have better healthcare than the rest of the world because they can't afford it.
You may not like it because it doesn't agree with your political agenda, but those are the FACTS. NO ONE is denied health care in the US, not even non-citizens. Anyone can show up to the emergency room and get treatment. You are presenting an argument that people are denied life saving health care and are, essentially, helped into the street, and that just isn't the case.
Additionally, there are countless programs setup for lower income people to have access to health care. Here in New Mexico, if you make too much to qualify for Medicaide, you can go to the state hospital and get on their financial assistance program. You will, essentially, have a healthcare plan that requires a nominal co-pay for visits, but no premium.
I also note that, you didn't attempt to dispute any of the facts I presented (not that you could, since you wouldn't be able to find any studies to support your position). Instead, you just dismissed it as propaganda and then proceeded to rattle off one of your inane talking points. Try actually researchi
I don't like the argument that apple is guilty of censorship. I just don't think that is the case, if they were guilty of censorship, they would block you from accessing any information regarding socialized healthcare. you can still look up all the "Facts" about healthcare on your iPhone, you just can't do it from an app that doesn't have a verifiable source. How the heck do you know that the information the app spits out is actually true?
This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Healthcare reform is a joke, the only reason other countries like England adopted socialized healthcare was because of WW2. We are not exactly in that predicament right now. I would rather be able to sue a healthcare company if they don't give me what I pay for than try to sue the government if they don't provide the care that I pay for...I don't know how you could argue against this...It's ok though, I'm in line with these insurance people and I'm paid to say this.
You may not like it because it doesn't agree with your political agenda, but those are the FACTS. NO ONE is denied health care in the US, not even non-citizens. Anyone can show up to the emergency room and get treatment. You are presenting an argument that people are denied life saving health care and are, essentially, helped into the street, and that just isn't the case.Additionally, there are countless programs setup for lower income people to have access to health care. Here in New Mexico, if you make too much to qualify for Medicaide, you can go to the state hospital and get on their financial assistance program. You will, essentially, have a healthcare plan that requires a nominal co-pay for visits, but no premium.I also note that, you didn't attempt to dispute any of the facts I presented (not that you could, since you wouldn't be able to find any studies to support your position). Instead, you just dismissed it as propaganda and then proceeded to rattle off one of your inane talking points. Try actually researchi
Maybe you should watch Michael Moore's movie about the sorry state of healthcare in the USA. Everything in it is 100% true. It is not someone's political view or opinion, it only contains facts. All healthcare facilities should be a public service and not a for profit business. Nobody has any right whatsoever to make a profit off of healthcare by doing things like denying people health insurance for pre existing conditions.