Apple bans pornography and real-money gambling apps from its App Store, but an investigation has revealed that the operators of at least two dozen such applications sidestepped the store to put their products in front of iPhone users.
The Cupertino iPhone giant, stung by recent revelations that Facebook and Google scooted around Apple's rules to gather users' data, is now fighting against hardcore pornographers and online-gambling operators who appeared to have circumvented the rules in a similar fashion, according to a new report.
The unseemly incursions by peddlers of porn and gambling were accomplished via Apple's "Enterprise Certificate" program, which allows businesses to make internal-use-only apps available through Apple's "iOS" operating system, according to the report by TechCrunch.
"The developers passed Apple's weak Enterprise Certificate screening process or piggybacked on a legitimate approval, allowing them to sidestep the App Store and (Apple's) traditional safeguards designed to keep iOS family friendly," TechCrunch reported.
"Without proper oversight, they were able to operate these vice apps that blatantly flaunt Apple's content policies. With just a few lies on the phone and web plus some Googleable public information, sketchy developers can get approved for an Apple Enterprise Certificate."
TechCrunch reported that it found thousands of websites offering downloads of apps that had been "sideloaded" into Apple's system via the Enterprise program.
"TechCrunch was able to download and verify 12 pornography and 12 real-money gambling apps over the past week that were abusing Apple's Enterprise Certificate system to offer apps prohibited from the App Store," the site reported Tuesday.
"These apps either offered streaming or pay-per-view hardcore pornography, or allowed users to deposit, win, and withdraw real money _ all of which would be prohibited if the apps were distributed through the App Store."
Apple, according to TechCrunch, refused to say how the problematic apps got into its Enterprise program, and wouldn't disclose whether it plans to change the admission process for the program.
"Developers that abuse our enterprise certificates are in violation of the Apple Developer Enterprise Program Agreement and will have their certificates terminated, and if appropriate, they will be removed from our Developer Program completely," the company told the site in a statement. "We are continuously evaluating the cases of misuse and are prepared to take immediate action."
Apple, in response to the reported Enterprise Certificate abuse by Facebook and Google, had temporarily revoked both firms' certificates, which disabled internal iOS apps at the companies.
