Developer: Apple Denied Health Care App for Political Reasons

[RepublicanElephant]

"Apple rejected a free iPhone application that advocated a single-payer health system, calling the application “politically charged,” according to the app’s developer.

Red Daly, a 22 year-old computer science grad student at Stanford, submitted his iSinglePayer iPhone app for Apple’s approval on Aug. 21. A little more than a month later Apple rejected it on the grounds of its content, Daly told Wired.com.

The iSinglePayer application includes facts and figures that support a Canadian-style health insurance plan where the government insures citizens and reimburses health providers, but doesn’t employ the doctors. The app also uses GPS to determine a user’s political representatives, and how much money health companies have given them in campaign donations. It also gives users a single button to call lawmakers."
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/09/apple-denied-health-care-app-for-political-reasons-developer-says/

[BlooInBloo]

1. I heart my google phone. Completely unlocked (hw/sw), put any app on it I want...

Opensource OS, scads of strong dev tools - all free. Use any carrier sim I want...

Aaaahh....

[bbinacan]

2. Apple did the right thing. n/t

[Raineyb]

9. So why is the conservative talking points app allowed?

Still think they did the right thing?

:eyes:

[Honeycombe8]

13. Is there an app on it that supports no public option or something? nt

[Recursion]

3. This is the danger of a locked-down development platform

RMS warned us of this (ominous music)

[area51]

4. apps

Is this the same company who for a while had an app available where you shake a virtual baby until it stops crying? I'd google it myself but I need to leave.

[and-justice-for-all]

5. Is the health insurance industry and the US CofC can..

advocate against it, then Apple can very well have an "optional" app.

[Deja Q]

6. And yet that baby shaker monstrosity got put out...

[madfloridian]

7. They delayed the app for Dean's book and the activism ideas.

http://agonist.org/nat_wilson_turner/20090929/apple_and_howard_dean_or_private_companies_make_bad_public_utilities

Many are wondering why? They delayed and delayed. From Jerome Armstrong

"I just went through about as terrible a process as you I could have imagined with the Apple iphone app store. It sucked, with their non-co-opoeration, multi-month delays, and inability to even update the situation for weeks at a time. So sue me.

WSG worked with Chelsea Green through a developer to bring Howard Dean's book on healthcare reform to the iPhone app store. The app is not just a book, but also an action kit-- the sort of ground-breaking thing that Howard Dean is so well known for letting his internet team run with innovating.

Unfortunately, Apple just squashed our roll-out plans. I have thought it was just plain incompetence of Apple that Howard Dean's iphone app (the book and Action kit) was being delayed for more than two months (with no reason why given). I resisted the thought that it was some sort of political delay by Apple. Well, now I have to wonder, check this out:

"Apple Denied Health Care App for Political ReasonsApple rejected a free iPhone
application that advocated a single-payer health system, calling the application "politically charged," according to the app's developer."

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. Check this iTunes App out:

http://conservativetalkingpoints.com/

Somebody explain to me how they can get away with this? :shrug:

[demodonkey]

10. I really need a new phone, & was going to try & see if there is any way I could afford an iPhone....

Now I'm not so sure.

And this from a dedicated Mac user who has never given a Windoze machine house room in her life.

[Robb]

11. I read the entire article. Silly me.

I couldn't find anything other than this 22-year-old's say-so that the app was rejected for content reasons.

It may have simply, wait for it, been a sucky app. :shrug:

[zulchzulu]

12. I'd bet the app had enough complaints on the app being badly developed

I make iPhone apps and know that there are ways to make a sucky app that crashes a lot... the guy can resubmit another app and try again. Stop the iWhining.