MacStories: Is Sex Censored from iBooks Best Sellers List?

kjk · 07-28-2010, 01:26 PM

http://www.macstories.net/news/is-se...lers-list-too/

Quote:

Apple is being accused of another case of puritanical censorship after allegedly taking out three adult-oriented books out of their bestseller list today. The top two books were written by Carl East, a 54-year-old writer responsible for seventy similar titles. The fifth position was occupied by Six Sexy Stories by Ginger Starr.

Apple really needs to use their "parental controls" settings instead of censoring stuff.

scottjl · 07-28-2010, 01:39 PM

yeah. i don't get it. all the parental controls you can set, yet apple seems to ignore them anyway. of course we'd probably have some "concerned citizen group" crying that the controls are too hard to set if they relied on them.

Bremen Cole · 07-28-2010, 01:40 PM

Apple is simply choosing not to provide a particular product. The product is available many other places.... Only governments can truly censor...

A bookstore (for example) cannot stock every possible book ever made in history. So they decide what their inventory will be. Just because they may not stock a particular book is not censorship, it's just they don't stock that particular book. If I own a bookstore and choose not to sell the bible (the most banned book in history, and is even now banned in several countries), it is my choice as owner of the shop, and not censorship. But, if the government tells ALL bookstores that they cannot sell bibles... that is censorship.

Sorry, just my rant about what is censorship......

kjk · 07-28-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Apple is simply choosing not to provide a particular product. The product is available many other places.... Only governments can truly censor...

A bookstore (for example) cannot stock every possible book ever made in history. So they decide what their inventory will be. Just because they may not stock a particular book is not censorship, it's just they don't stock that particular book. If I own a bookstore and choose not to sell the bible (the most banned book in history, and is even now banned in several countries), it is my choice as owner of the shop, and not censorship. But, if the government tells ALL bookstores that they cannot sell bibles... that is censorship.

Sorry, just my rant about what is censorship......

Bremen, I agree with your example completely.

But they ARE providing the books for sale, but if they are deleting the titles from the iBooks best seller lists, then to me that is a form of censorship.

scottjl · 07-28-2010, 04:18 PM

really no different than some stores putting them in a special section, behind the counter, or covering up the covers on the rack. typically those stores are complying with some local regulations.

apple might be taking the safe way out, taking them off the best seller lists, so none of the right-wing special interest groups start picketing apple for pushing porn. next will be an ipad burning. lol.

the books ARE for sale. they just aren't on apple's best seller lists. really don't see what all the fuss is about.

JMikeD · 07-28-2010, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottjl

really don't see what all the fuss is about.

Agreed.

Bremen Cole · 07-28-2010, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk;

Bremen, I agree with your example completely.

But they ARE providing the books for sale, but if they are deleting the titles from the iBooks best seller lists, then to me that is a form of censorship.

You are right, I misunderstood..... But I still say it's not "censorship"

carld · 07-28-2010, 08:05 PM

The books were on the top 10 list and were removed due to content, I can't see that as anything other than censorship.

scottjl · 07-28-2010, 08:54 PM

you walk into a bookstore and see the magazine rack, porn mags like playboy and hustler tend to have something obscuring the covers so people's delicate sensibilities aren't destroyed when they walk past and glance. hell my local supermarket will place cardboard in front of some of the fashion magazines that have "racy" covers. you can still buy the magazine and take it home and look at whatever in all its glory. it's hardly censorship. apple is continuing to sell the books, they just don't advertise them up front. a "top 10 list" is a popularity contest subject to apple's rules. i guess one of their rules is "no racy books qualify". it's not worse a rule than "no cookbooks qualify for the sci-fi top 10 list". if you're ready to start picketing apple over this you really need to find some hobbies.

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07-28-2010, 01:39 PM	#2
scottjl Reader of Books Posts: 1,632 Karma: 2697 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	yeah. i don't get it. all the parental controls you can set, yet apple seems to ignore them anyway. of course we'd probably have some "concerned citizen group" crying that the controls are too hard to set if they relied on them.

07-28-2010, 01:40 PM	#3
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	Apple is simply choosing not to provide a particular product. The product is available many other places.... Only governments can truly censor... A bookstore (for example) cannot stock every possible book ever made in history. So they decide what their inventory will be. Just because they may not stock a particular book is not censorship, it's just they don't stock that particular book. If I own a bookstore and choose not to sell the bible (the most banned book in history, and is even now banned in several countries), it is my choice as owner of the shop, and not censorship. But, if the government tells ALL bookstores that they cannot sell bibles... that is censorship. Sorry, just my rant about what is censorship......

07-28-2010, 04:18 PM	#5
scottjl Reader of Books Posts: 1,632 Karma: 2697 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	really no different than some stores putting them in a special section, behind the counter, or covering up the covers on the rack. typically those stores are complying with some local regulations. apple might be taking the safe way out, taking them off the best seller lists, so none of the right-wing special interest groups start picketing apple for pushing porn. next will be an ipad burning. lol. the books ARE for sale. they just aren't on apple's best seller lists. really don't see what all the fuss is about.

07-28-2010, 08:05 PM	#8
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	The books were on the top 10 list and were removed due to content, I can't see that as anything other than censorship.

07-28-2010, 08:54 PM	#9
scottjl Reader of Books Posts: 1,632 Karma: 2697 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	you walk into a bookstore and see the magazine rack, porn mags like playboy and hustler tend to have something obscuring the covers so people's delicate sensibilities aren't destroyed when they walk past and glance. hell my local supermarket will place cardboard in front of some of the fashion magazines that have "racy" covers. you can still buy the magazine and take it home and look at whatever in all its glory. it's hardly censorship. apple is continuing to sell the books, they just don't advertise them up front. a "top 10 list" is a popularity contest subject to apple's rules. i guess one of their rules is "no racy books qualify". it's not worse a rule than "no cookbooks qualify for the sci-fi top 10 list". if you're ready to start picketing apple over this you really need to find some hobbies.

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