Apple's App Store Security Team Allegedly allowed an App for Children through that provides links to pornographic material and more
Apple has always defended the App Store against antitrust bodies around the globe attempting to force Apple to accept sideloading. While the new app review process is brutal, it done to ensure apps are free of known malware. Apple's CEO was a keynote speaker at the Global Privacy Summit in 2022 and talked about Apple's position on Privacy and sideloading. Apple also notes on their 'App security overview' webpage that "Additional protections enforce that access from apps to user data is carefully mediated.' And yet, if true, how did an App positioned as one aimed for children end up linking to pornographic and gambling websites without being flagged by Apple's security team?
According to a new IT Home report titled "Pornographic software disguised as learning software in the Apple App Store is now diverting traffic to gambling websites," they note that "It is reported that the software is rated for ages 4 and above and will also guide users to gambling and other pornographic websites. Netizen Xiaotong said that he downloaded this software and wanted to learn English letters, but found out that it was a pornographic video software. He believes that this kind of behavior disguised as learning software is dangerous and can easily have a negative impact on children.
In response, Apple customer service responded that they would immediately provide feedback to the App review team and would deal with it seriously.
However, after the incident was exposed, Apple has not yet removed the software. A search found that the software can still be downloaded and installed. Many netizens urged Apple to remove it from the shelves. Appleās official customer service replied again: It attaches great importance to this issue, will provide feedback, and has a dedicated team to handle it."
The IT House report ended by noting that Apple officials have not yet officially responded to this.
The IT Home report presents a static photo of the Weibo report that contains a video clip of the app. We were unable to find this Weibo page in order to verify their findings. If one of our readers can access this Weibo entry, please send us the link to [email protected].
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