Apple Still Censoring App That Maps Drone Strikes in Pakistan

"Objectionable" despite lack of any graphic content

At the end of August, Apple made a disheartening decision. After NYU grad student Josh Begley submitted Drone+, an iPhone app that maps U.S. drone strike in Pakistan, the company decided that the content was too "objectionable" to be granted shelf space in their App Store.

Begley's app didn't contain graphic images of dismembered children or even classified information. In fact, the same data could be found, in one form or another, within other readily-available apps and on the Web. The decision made little sense, but it smacked of a sort of censorship that left many—myself included—feeling uneasy. Some called for Apple to reverse its decision. Four months later, they haven't said a word.