Apple has pulled the WikiLeaks app from its App Store. That app was just added to the store a few days ago.
WikiLeaks launched the $1.99 app on Dec. 17, offering access to the web site and the @wikileaks Twitter stream. The whistle-blower site described the app as offering “instant access to the world’s most documented leakage of top-secret memos and other confidential government documents.”
Privacy vs Freedom
“Apple is all about privacy, and they are not likely to look kindly on a service that allows folks to leak information to the press. While it isn’t a wonderful move for users who undoubtedly would like the choice, part of what you get in the Apple package is that Apple makes choices for you,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.
“Apple also has to consider litigation and the chance one of their own internal documents could be leaked on WikiLeaks, and providing it on the phone would make it look like they only disagreed with the practice as applied to them,” he said. “This is vastly easier for them. Apple provides a lot of strong benefits; unfortunately, freedom isn’t one of them.”
Retaliation Against Apple?
WikiLeaks recently released 250,000 confidential cables to the public, a move that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called an attack on America and the international community. She said the leaks were a “tear in the fabric” of responsible government and the Obama administration is taking “aggressive steps to hold responsible those who stole this information.”
Will Apple’s moves make it the latest target of Anonymous, a group that created a hit list of sites it plans to target as the fallout from the WikiLeaks drama continues unfolding? Anonymous has already attacked PayPal, MasterCard and others, and pledged to attack any institution that tries to silence or discourage…