Not everything is going well for Alex Jones.
After getting banned from Twitter and Periscope, Apple has taken down Jones' InfoWars application from its App Store.
Apple confirmed the InfoWars application's after users saw it was gone on Friday evening and didn't even appear in the App Store's search results.
The App Store expulsion shouldn't amaze anybody. Toward the beginning of August, Apple expelled five InfoWars digital broadcasts, including War Room and The Alex Jones Show from iTunes and the Podcasts application, a clear showcase of its firm stand against it.
An Apple spokesperson told Mashable that it "does not tolerate hate speech, and we have clear guidelines that creators and developers must follow to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our users."
Apple had previously taken down Jones' podcasts, but the ap remained on the store; Apple's App Store Review Guidelines state that "Apps should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, or in exceptionally poor taste":
- 1.1.1 Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate, or place a targeted individual or group in harm's way. Professional political satirists and humorists are generally exempt from this requirement.
Apple's statement on not taking down the InfoWars application toward the beginning of August stated:
"We strongly support all points of view being represented on the App Store, as long as the apps are respectful to users with differing opinions, and follow our clear guidelines, ensuring the App Store is a safe marketplace for all. We continue to monitor apps for violations of our guidelines and if we find content that violates our guidelines and is harmful to users we will remove those apps from the store as we have done previously."
Apple has been quick to take down this app. However, another app on its store - a top paid utility app - is still available for download even after it was reported to log user data and send it across to a Chinese server.
All the eyes now turn towards Google, as InfoWars application is as yet accessible for download in the Google Play Store for Android.
Will Google go with the same pattern and take away another platform for Jones to engage with his audience? It could.
