freedom app google play store stopped working

#FREEDOM APP GOOGLE PLAY STORE STOPPED WORKING FREE#

If you don’t agree with an MPAA or ESRB rating, you can just ignore it, assuming you’re of the appropriate age. Second, regardless of what decision the MPAA or ESRB makes, the ultimate decision of what kind of content we buy for both ourselves and our children is left in the consumer’s hands. The inconsistency in which Apple’s guidelines are followed raises serious questions of censorship of certain narratives.įor example, personal political leanings of Apple employees might explain why they rejected a weapon manufacturing game and approved a game that lets you control a bird taking a dump on Donald Trump.

We may not know who decided that Grand Theft Auto should be for mature audiences only, but we at least know the basis for the decision. However, there are two key differences which make Apple’s review system more problematic than that of the MPAA and the ESRB.įirst, these other rating groups provide you with the rationale behind their decisions. The picture on the left shows how the ESRB conveniently presents all information regarding the criteria for their decision. Through the use of tags and verbal summary, consumers are provided with details about what contributed to the suggested age rating. As seemingly arbitrary as our current content rating institutions are, most consumers have become accustomed to letting these dark room review boards call the shots. In this way, Apple’s review process is in some ways similiar to that of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), independent non-government agencies which provide age ratings for films and video games respectively. The truth is that Apple’s review process for apps on the App store is mysterious. We don’t know anything about who makes these decisions or how they make them. The quote “I’ll know it when I see it” was taken from a Supreme Court Justice, named Potter Stewart, who was speaking on obscenity prosecutions. Nevertheless, the question arises, who decides where to draw the line of obscenity for Apple? And we think that you will also know it when you cross it. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, “I’ll know it when I see it”. We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. To get a clearer picture of why these seemingly nonsensical rejections took place, it may help to look at the fine print of Apples App Store Guidelines regarding “Objectionable Content”:

Rejecting simple technical updates to games.

Some examples of Apple’s odd app removals include: Complaints of app censorship, games in particular, are commonplace, and the often irrational, erratic, and selective nature of these removals and rejections is concerning to say the least.

#FREEDOM APP GOOGLE PLAY STORE STOPPED WORKING FREE#

Sadly, this process has become increasingly regular with Apple, after at least six years of similar incidents, it is arguably apparent that Apple struggles with the idea of complete free expression for their vendors in the App Store. The notion that an App making political commentary could not be sold on the App store was so unpopular that, after receiving pushback from both consumers and the media, Apple reversed their decision. The game, a side-scrolling adventure in which players navigate a rockst striken wasteland, was barred entry to the store’s Games section due to it’s political pointedness- the game takes inspiration from war in the Gaza strip. for Teachers, Parents, and School Officialsīack in May, Apple’s rejection of Liyla and the Shadow of War thrust their App Store into the negative PR spotlight.Resources for Authors of Banned and Challenged Books.

Freedom app google play store stopped working