Prediction: After Apple implements this, there will be an unusual spike in Android and other non-iPhone phones sales among 12-25 yr old users with a sharp drop in iPhone sales to the same.
Today the US Patent and Trademark Office approved a patent Apple filed in 2008, which, get this, prevents users from sending or receiving “objectionable” text messages. The patent’s official title? “Text-based communication control for personal communication device” which actually doesn’t use the pretty ridiculous noun/verb “Sexting,” but come on, we all know what they mean.
The “Sexting” patent background info states that the problem it solves is that there is currently “No way to monitor and control text communications to make them user appropriate. For example, users such as children may send or receive messages (intentionally or not) with parentally objectionable language.”
[…]
Ladies and gentlemen this means that Jobs and company have just sealed the deal on a solution to the number one fear of parents across America, kids sending “unauthorized texts.” As it looks like whatever algorithm or control the system is comprised of will basically censor the transmission of R-rated content on iPhones, is this the first sign of the end of “Sexting” as we know it?
You WILL bow to Steve Jobs moral authority. Fuck you Steve … and the technology you rode in on.
This is just another bullet point to sell phones. “parents can block kids from harmful activity”. Or a way to sell phones in China. In eight months this will be on all phones.
Settle down, everyone. It’s just gonna be added to parental controls. No biggie.
John Gilmore:
“The Net treats censorship as a defect and routes around it.”
This of course means that Apple will be selling a lot fewer iPods and iPads, and maybe even Macs.
This is pathetic. For one it is basically an additional parental control which is fine with me but it is usless anyway. It would have to learn all the kids slang and try and figure out if it is dirty or not so like another poster said it is just a bullet point. Kids will just say things like put your bannana in my cantalope 🙂
Steve big bro Jobs. Some way this will be in court soon.
Surely Conservatives are thrilled to see the nanny government help babysit their kids from showing their hiney to one another..
Just another patent to strengthen the Nazi mind set that apple has always illustrated.
FUCK that!
@#4 and most others seem to think that this is indeed about kids… It is not. This is just another in a series of S.J. decisions showing his obsession with control. In his mind, people should not be allowed to do anything with “his” iPhone/iPad/… that he does not approve of. Sick and delusional man with a lot of power.
So here it is, undisputed – Apple is now the Evil Empire; aka the manifestation of the Nanny State. Sad – but this is how it goes when you think the only one above you is God. His Steveness has put the final nail in the coffin – for me.
Yep, they stole Microsoft’s evil mojo. No one is afraid of Microsoft anymore, they are universally seen as clueless bozos.
Other phones are available.
On the Australian and New Zealand iTunes stores they put F****t in a song that is about homophobia, “Leviticus: Faggot”, they didn’t censor another track, “Deuteronomy: Niggerman”. Strange.
They also put N**i instead of Nazi which really annoys me due to it’s Orwellian symbolism.
The real solution seems simple enough. Allow parents access to an archive of their kids text messages via the web.
I know if I saw something objectionable was being sent that phone would be shut off immediately.
Gee. Maybe the kiddies will have to go back to playing doctor the old fashioned way….???
Still, Jobs is a Nazi freak, and I’ve never bought an Apple Computer product.*
*I have used Quicktime, and have purchased Apple Corp. recordings. But the first one I didn’t pay for and the second is really EMI.
So.. Does this means they will block images with too much pink in them?
I love the whines. Especially from those who know nothing about the entire process of design and creation right through to marketing and management.
Squawk Box on CNBC put up a very simple graphic on the screen, yesterday morning.
Growth in Corporate Value over the last 5 years:
Apple = 500%
Microsoft = 1%
#18
And that’s relevant to what? Nothing, Ok, moving along now.
wow, some of the lamest comments ever. You people really like to go to extremes don’t you. It’s just a parental permission, like the volume control lock out or the GPS tracker for your kids phone you morons. Everyone’s phone’s won’t be blocking profanity. Then again, most of you probably still live at home and your parents may block your phones since they’re most likely still paying your bills for you. Talk about nanny state……
@jman
Yes and Apple won’t demand that the filter is on before you can post to a website that children might access, ie any of them
Companies wont insist that it’s on as part of their anti-porn web policy.
Then somebody will decide that drug or criminal term will be blocked for public decency.
Gee, I thought they were kidding when they called Steve Jobs GOD.
But now I guess they were right. Thank you Apple for now becoming part of the Moral Majority.
Whatever…the real burning question here is:
Who’s the female in this article’s picture? We *MUST* know…
Since when is Apple our “nanny government” Dallas?
They are bigger than the government, they are our corporate masters.
#17 Pedrito, you should be concerned Apple is developing a sex free phone platform. The Conservatives may just push this new nanny feature as a requirement for all cellphones.
Thoughts on this serious matter?
Don’t know if you guys notice it or not but there’s a hot chick there! Name please 🙂
#17 Pedro,
You just don’t get the joke don’t you?
None of you seem to get the big picture: By awarding this patent, Apple has an exclusive right to this technology, meaning no one else is allowed to censor “sexting” unless they pay a royalty to Apple.
Now if Apple were to get a patent on “sexting” itself, well THAT would be very bad.
Something here I think is more important is, Why the hell is this worth a patent? It’s a software sort and a goto command. The patent office has gone crazy. They are allowing patents on ideas. The patent system is in serious disarray.
Secondly – if you filter out the word dick do the kids have to call their friend Rick? Will the kids then say things like “suck your rick”? Kids will still say nasty things by text, they’ll just devise a new vocabulary. Of course, the new vocab will make the job of parenting even more difficult.
I say Fail for the patent office
and a Fail for Jobs
Apple (Microsoft, Google, Oracle, IBM, Cisco, etc) has thousands of patents they’ve never implemented. They have 7 inch and 5 inch ipads in their engineering labs. They have cars that on unicorn farts.
It’s a story when a ship date is announced. Reporters who skulk patent filings are morons.
P.S. However, more pictures of the girl would be relevant to my interests.
I don’t like the Steve Jobs “anti sexting” nanny software, and won’t buy any Apple hardware that contains that stuff.
However, that girl is one of the prettiest females I’ve ever seen. She probably has Windows software on her PDA…