Latest news with #HotTub
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
How Antitrust Crusaders Brought a Porn App to iPhones
A porn app called Hot Tub can now be added to iPhones in the European Union, thanks to an overzealous interpretation of antitrust law. Hot Tub is an "aggregator that offers iOS users a way to search and play videos from a variety of adult websites, including Pornhub, Xvideos, XNXX, and XHamster," according to TechCrunch. Hot Tub's journey to iPhones is a perfect story of unintended consequences. And it should serve as a warning for U.S. activists and authorities who seem to think they can both restrict access to adult content and require Apple and Google to facilitate more competition to their app stores. For years, Apple has banned apps that carry "overtly sexual or pornographic material" from appearing in its App Store—which serves as the default marketplace for downloading apps on iPhones, similar to the Google Play store on Androids. In recent years, some antitrust zealots have begun to denounce Apple and Google for blocking or discouraging apps—including competing app marketplaces—from being downloaded outside of their official app stores. Apple and Google said this was essential to ensuring the safety, reliability, and functionality of their products. Critics complained that they had an unfair monopoly on app distribution and sales and said this really only about making them more money. Of course, there are ways for consumers to download apps from sources outside of official app stores, even on iPhones (which are much stricter about outside apps). And content not available through a standalone app—such as porn—could still be viewed through a browser. But some people insist that requiring extra steps of consumers or developers amounts to unfair restraint of trade and throttling of competition. According to these folks, those convenient app stores are simply the tools of evil monopolists. That's how we wound up with a law like the E.U.'s Digital Markets Act, which—among other things—requires Apple to allow alternative app stores. Last week, one of these alternative app stores started allowing iPhone users to download Hot Tub. Some will welcome porn apps to smartphones, and some will loathe it. To me, this is a neutral development at its core. People could already use their phones to view porn in a variety of ways, including visiting porn websites through browser apps or searching for porn on social media platforms. So it's not as if alternative app stores are opening up phones to a heretofore unavailable type of content, although they could arguably make this content easier to access or more user-friendly to view. To me, the interesting question and relevant moral quandary is Where is the government coercing action? To the extent that Apple and other phone manufacturers do not want to allow porn apps and the new antitrust rules effectively require it, this is an unfair incursion on their private business decisions and free speech/association rights. Now, one might argue that, all things being equal, executives at Apple (and other tech companies) don't really care about preventing porn apps and the only reason they've imposed these rules against them is because of pressure from regulators and lawmakers. In this scenario, we've got competing kinds of coercion. There's certainly some merit to the above arguments. A lot of tech companies, including Apple and Google, seem to have gotten more restrictive about sexual content as government attention and threats around sexual content picked up. But there are also plausible reasons that don't have anything to do with government pressure why Google and Apple might want to restrict porn apps, such as wanting app stores to be welcoming to wide audiences or fearing being boycotted by anti-activists. In the end, it's sort of impossible to disentangle all the competing forms of government coercion here and arrive at a conclusion about these companies' true desire. I think the best we're probably left with is acknowledging that, for whatever reason(s), Apple wanted to prevent porn apps, and now, because of the Digital Markets Act, it is hamstrung from doing so. This is, if nothing else, funny. Because the cohorts who wail about app-store monopolies and needing to stick it to big tech companies over "competition" tend to be the same cohorts who think tech companies need to do more to "protect" people from ever encountering anything sensitive. And by messing with markets and mandating that Apple open its phones up to competing app stores, authorities have all but ensured the proliferation of porn apps. Social-media censorship bill update: A new "think of the children" censorship bill is moving through Congress. At least this time, lawmakers had the decency to give it a pretty straightforward name. There's no grandstanding about "protection" or "safety"—the "Kids Off Social Media Act" (KOSMA) just cuts to the point: getting kids off of social media platforms. KOSMA "is sort of an attempt to create a 'more palatable' version of KOSA, but…still a censorship bill at its core," writes Cathy Gellis at Techdirt. "This bill—if enacted—would actively undermine child safety, harm marginalized youth, erode privacy, and impose unconstitutional restrictions on young people's ability to engage online," according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other free speech groups who signed a February 4 letter opposing KOSMA. They write: Banning kids from creating an account, including ones with appropriate safeguards, would cut them off from online expression, political engagement, news and even essential educational resources on platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, and GroupMe. At a time when books are being banned in schools and curricula are being restricted, ensuring young people can access a broad range of perspectives online—and be able to engage with a broad community– is more critical than ever. KOSMA, however, would completely shut kids under 13 off from this world, in violation of the First Amendment. KOSMA passed out of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation the next day. "All the major social media platforms already prohibit children under the age of 13," notes the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation: Online services restrict these users because the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) imposes additional requirements on platforms with users under the age of 13. At the same time, KOSMA does not require platforms to use age verification to ensure they have no users below age 13. As a result, this bill accomplishes nothing that platforms do not already do in terms of restricting young children from their services. However, KOSMA creates a regulatory challenge for social media platforms. With regard to underage users, COPPA holds platforms to an "actual knowledge" standard—online services are obligated to act when they are aware and have no doubt that a minor under the age of 13 uses the service. But KOSMA uses a "reasonable knowledge" standard—online services must act if there is a high likelihood that a user is below the age of 13. COPPA's actual knowledge standard allows online services to protect children without significantly increasing compliance costs, whereas KOSMA's reasonable knowledge standard is so broad and ill-defined that it would raise compliance costs and subject platforms to an increased risk of liability, even when attempting to comply in good faith. In addition to entirely banning people under age 13 from creating social media accounts of any kind and ordering platforms to delete the accounts of existing users 12 and under, it would ban the use of personalized recommendations and algorithmic feeds for anyone under age 18. And that's not all. From the ACLU letter: This legislation would also bar schools from receiving E-Rate funding if they do not enforce "a policy of preventing students of the school from accessing social media platforms on any supported service, device, or network." Not only would this prevent students of all ages from accessing social media during after-school activities or when relying on parking lot wi-fi, but this prohibition will also extend into students' homes. Today, schools often provide students with computers, hotspots, and other networking equipment. However, these devices are disproportionately used outside of school by low-income households, who struggle to afford a device or broadband connection on their own. The nonprofit group Fight for the Future has called KOSMA a "pathetic fart" of a bill that would "make the Internet worse and endanger those who use it to organize." • Not to be outdone by the folks who thought they found a "sex trafficking operation" in a charity toy drive, a Virginia man convinced himself that his neighbors' Bible study group was a human trafficking soiree. He was arrested and jailed after breaking into their home and threatening members of the Bible study with assault. • Libya's eastern government is banning rap music on the grounds that it might incite young people to "sex work, suicide, or rebellion against family and society." • I talked with the Cato Institute's Caleb Brown last week about Massachusetts seeking to define all prostitution customers as sex traffickers. Listen here. • Republican lawmakers in New York have introduced a bill that would require porn websites to age-verify users. "The bill, introduced by Republicans Jake Ashby and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, is almost identical to every other law that has passed across the country in the last two years related to age verification," and "would require porn sites to verify that visitors are at least 18 years old through 'digital identification,' credit card transaction, government ID, or password-protected login," reports 404 Media. • "A federal district court on Friday has issued more temporary blocks on provisions of a Texas law designed to restrict what kinds of materials and advertisements minors can see on social media and age verification requirements," reports The Texas Tribune. Calling the law "unconstitutionally vague," Judge Robert Pitman "enjoined several provisions of the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, also known as the SCOPE Act." The law is being challenged by Students Engaged in Advancing Texas and others, with assistance from The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. The post How Antitrust Crusaders Brought a Porn App to iPhones appeared first on
Russia Today
05-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Apple warns about ‘hardcore porn apps' in EU
US tech giant Apple has condemned the launch of a new pornography app in the EU that is now accessible on iPhones via third-party app stores under the bloc's digital rules. AltStore PAL, an alternative app marketplace enabled by the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), introduced Hot Tub this week, describing it as an adult content browser for iPhones. The marketplace developer claimed in a social media post on Monday that Hot Tub is 'the world's 1st Apple-approved porn app.' The US company rejected the 'false statements,' arguing that it 'certainly' does not approve of the 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 spokesperson Peter Ajemian was quoted as stated by The Verge. He said the company is 'deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids,' warning that such apps would 'undermine consumer trust and confidence in our ecosystem.' Under the DMA adopted in 2022, Apple was required to adjust its business practices and loosen App Store restrictions, allowing users across the 27-nation EU to download iPhone apps from third-party stores. As part of its alternative app store process, Apple mandates a baseline review called 'notarization,' which scans for cybersecurity threats such as known malware but does not assess or approve an app's content. Apple is being extremely disingenuous in attacking the European Union here. The iOS App Store hosts the Reddit app, which provides access to massive amounts of porn. Apple knows this, permits it, and gave Reddit a 17+ (!!!) rating and Editors Choice award. — Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) February 4, 2025 The company has pushed back against the new regulations, arguing they open the door to more harmful services, including those offering pornography, illegal drugs, and other content it has long banned from its App Store. Responding to Apple's criticism, AltStore accused the company of using safety concerns as a cover to maintain its dominance. 'Apple continues to use safety as a pretext to protect their monopoly power and evade compliance with the DMA,' the marketplace stated. READ MORE: EU orders Apple to open up to rivals Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also slammed Apple, pointing out that platforms such as Windows, Mac, and Linux allow developers to release apps without restrictions. He also argued that the iOS App Store hosts the Reddit app, which provides access to porn. 'Apple knows this, permits it, and gave Reddit a 17+ (!!!) rating and Editors' Choice award,' Sweeney posted on X on Tuesday. Apple bans 'overtly sexual or pornographic material' on its iOS store. Former CEO Steve Jobs once said the company has 'a moral responsibility' to keep porn off iPhones, urging users to 'buy an Android phone' instead.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
First ever porn app arrives on the iPhone
Apple has allowed the first pornography app onto the iPhone. 'Hot Tub' markets itself as an 'adult content browser' that allows people to find and watch sexual material. That kind of content is still explicitly banned under the App Store rules. That restriction began with Steve Jobs, who said Apple had a 'moral responsibility' to keep pornography off the iPhone. But Apple was forced to make it available because of new European regulations. The new EU Digital Markets Act required that Apple give users the option of using alternative app stores that don't have the same rules as its own. Apps distributed through those stores must be checked by Apple to ensure they are not scams, weaken the iPhone's security and function as they should. But otherwise it does not limit the kind of content that would be available through those stores. That allowed the new pornography app – Hot Tub – to apply to be available on AltStore PAL, the alternative marketplace. Apple made clear that it did not endorse or approve of the app and claimed that it would bring risks to users in Europe. 'We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids,' Apple said in a statement. '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.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple hits out at pornography app allowed onto EU iPhones
Apple has hit out at a newly launched pornography app available on the iPhone in the EU, warning digital competition rules in Europe could undermine user safety and consumer confidence. Earlier this week, AltStore PAL, an alternative app marketplace now accessible on EU-based iPhones because of European competition laws introduced in 2023, unveiled an adult content browser called Hot Tub. In a social media post, AltStore called Hot Tub 'the world's first Apple-approved porn app'. Apple rejected that description and hit back at AltStore, saying it would never allow such an app on its own App Store, and that it is required by the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act to allow other marketplaces to operate in the EU. Under Apple's rules, apps on alternative app stores still have to go through a certification process called notarisation to ensure they meet 'baseline platform integrity standards', but after that it is the decision of the marketplace itself whether to publish the app in question. In a statement, Apple said: '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.' Under the Digital Markets Act, tech giants are required to open up their services to more competition, including allowing smartphone users to access content and apps from alternative sources, instead of being limited to the native Apple App Store or Google's Play Store. AltStore hit back at Apple in a further statement of its own, saying it was 'not true' that it had made 'false statements about the approval of Hot Tub'. 'All apps distributed with AltStore PAL must be submitted to Apple for 'notarisation',' it said in a post on its social media channels. 'Unlike macOS, iOS notarisation involves a human-review process where Apple employees manually review apps before they are 'approved' or 'rejected' for distribution (in Apple's own words). 'Unfortunately, Apple has rejected several apps from our store in the past for dubious reasons, so the phrase 'Apple-approved' in our marketing is a reference to the fact that Hot Tub was approved, not rejected, by Apple for notarisation. 'To be perfectly clear, Apple has not endorsed Hot Tub in any way. However, they did approve it.' AltStore is backed by Fortnite maker Epic Games, which has been embroiled in a years-long battle with Apple over app distribution and App Store commission fees for developers. Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney also took to social media to comment on the incident, saying 'this isn't how platforms should work'. 'On Windows, Mac, and Linux, developers can make and release apps without the platform maker adding junk fees and rendering moral judgments on their decisions. On iOS, Apple forces its processes on developers against their wishes,' he said in a post on X. 'We've argued to the European Union that Apple should be forced out of developers' way, because when Apple are allowed to be the gatekeeper of competing apps and stores, they grossly misuse that power to disadvantage competition.'
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Apple hits out at pornography app allowed onto EU iPhones
Apple has hit out at a newly launched pornography app available on the iPhone in the EU, warning digital competition rules in Europe could undermine user safety and consumer confidence. Earlier this week, AltStore PAL, an alternative app marketplace now accessible on EU-based iPhones because of European competition laws introduced in 2023, unveiled an adult content browser called Hot Tub. In a social media post, AltStore called Hot Tub 'the world's first Apple-approved porn app'. Apple rejected that description and hit back at AltStore, saying it would never allow such an app on its own App Store, and that it is required by the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act to allow other marketplaces to operate in the EU. Under Apple's rules, apps on alternative app stores still have to go through a certification process called notarisation to ensure they meet 'baseline platform integrity standards', but after that it is the decision of the marketplace itself whether to publish the app in question. 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 Apple In a statement, Apple said: '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.' Under the Digital Markets Act, tech giants are required to open up their services to more competition, including allowing smartphone users to access content and apps from alternative sources, instead of being limited to the native Apple App Store or Google's Play Store. AltStore hit back at Apple in a further statement of its own, saying it was 'not true' that it had made 'false statements about the approval of Hot Tub'. 'All apps distributed with AltStore PAL must be submitted to Apple for 'notarisation',' it said in a post on its social media channels. 'Unlike macOS, iOS notarisation involves a human-review process where Apple employees manually review apps before they are 'approved' or 'rejected' for distribution (in Apple's own words). 'Unfortunately, Apple has rejected several apps from our store in the past for dubious reasons, so the phrase 'Apple-approved' in our marketing is a reference to the fact that Hot Tub was approved, not rejected, by Apple for notarisation. 'To be perfectly clear, Apple has not endorsed Hot Tub in any way. However, they did approve it.' AltStore is backed by Fortnite maker Epic Games, which has been embroiled in a years-long battle with Apple over app distribution and App Store commission fees for developers. Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney also took to social media to comment on the incident, saying 'this isn't how platforms should work'. 'On Windows, Mac, and Linux, developers can make and release apps without the platform maker adding junk fees and rendering moral judgments on their decisions. On iOS, Apple forces its processes on developers against their wishes,' he said in a post on X. 'We've argued to the European Union that Apple should be forced out of developers' way, because when Apple are allowed to be the gatekeeper of competing apps and stores, they grossly misuse that power to disadvantage competition.'
