Apple has removed an app from the App Store after it was argued the content was anti-gay, and now campaigners are calling on Google and Amazon to follow suit.
The Living Hope Ministries app, promoted by a religious group on the United States, referred to being gay as an “addition”, a “sickness” and a “sin”. It also attempted to convince youngsters to “to change from gay-to-straight through prayer and therapy” and urged members to help people find their “biblical gender.”
The app, which had spent several years on the App Store previously, has now been removed following a petition from the group Truth Wins Out. Apple has not commented on the situation, but its rules clearly state that “defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited” content is not permitted within apps.
“We thank Apple for exemplifying corporate responsibility and taking swift action to remove a dangerous app that stigmatises and demeans LGBT people,” said Truth Wins Out executive director Wayne Besen. “Ex-gay programs are consumer fraud and cause significant harm to the people they purport to help.”
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The church says it will appeal the decision from Apple. Executive director Ricky Chelette said: “I think it’s unfortunate that the advocacy group doesn’t know what we do and is assuming that we’re some hate organization. We love gay-identified individuals.”
Meanwhile, the app remains available for download on the Google Play Store and the Amazon Appstore. The BBC reports that both companies are looking into the matter.
Truth Wins Out added: “Google and Amazon [must] immediately stop selling and promoting this app, which dehumanises LGBT people.”
Do you think the tech giants need to do more to combat discriminatory content within apps? Or is the monitoring of the sheer volume of content too much for them to manage? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.