Apple agrees to senator’s request, will drop DUI apps WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced that, in response to his request, Apple Inc., manufacturer of iPhone smartphones, will ban from their online store new applications that help drunk drivers evade police. In March, Schumer, joined by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Tom Udall (D-NM), sent a letter to smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, asking them to ban the dangerous applications or alter them to remove the DUI/DWI checkpoint functionality. Research in Motion, manufacturer of Blackberry smartphones, immediately complied with the request, but Apple and Google initially refused. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in May, Schumer again pressed Apple and Google to ban the apps, and Apple yesterday updated its App Store Review Guidelines, prohibiting the inclusion of DUI checkpoint information in iOS apps.
“Apple has done the right thing in barring new DUI applications, but this victory will remain only half-won until the existing apps are removed from the store,” said Schumer. “This is about eliminating tools that people currently have to avoid drunk driving checkpoints, and leaving these dangerous apps online would be a major and dangerous loophole.”
These applications help drivers identify where local police officers have set up DUI checkpoints, allowing offenders to escape detection. One application contains a database of DUI checkpoints updated in real-time. Another application, with more than 10 million users, also allows users to alert each other to DUI checkpoints in real time. The existing applications pinpoint police enforcement zones through user-submitted information that connects to GPS data, providing drivers with the ability to evade DUI checkpoints, speed traps, and red light cameras. The applications are free or inexpensive to download from application stores.
Apple yesterday updated its App Store Review Guidelines, prohibiting the inclusion of DUI checkpoint information in iOS apps.
Poster Comment:
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
I hope every RAT voting scumbag gets pulled over and busted