Apple has approved an eBook Application of a book written by Hilter including Nazi symbols as the application icon.
The book titled Mein Kampf (Mi Lucha in Spanish) is a book written by Adolf Hitler, combining elements of his autobiography with an exposition of ideas of the political ideology of National Socialism.
The most shocking feature of the application is unquestionably its logo, the Swastika, in plain site in the apps directory.
This comes not days after Apple banned an app for mentioning the word iPhone.
How did no one catch this?
Update: Ralf, one of our team, comments below stating that the symbol in Germany is even prohibited by law (German link: http://bundesrecht.juris.de/stgb/__86a.html).
I’m not going to argue with all the stupid reasons Apple has banned other apps for, because there are just so many silly examples.
But under what criteria should this app have been banned? Because it contains content that you disagree with? If you don’t like the content don’t buy it, but don’t shut it down completely so that it cannot be studied by others with an interest. The blocking of ideas perverse to us is the most dangerous threat to freedom and democracy.
Not that the app store is a free and democratic place of course. But don’t start justifying the blocking of apps you don’t like because others have been blocked for less.
Promoting a better openness in Apple’s review policy I can support, but bickering about who should receive the brunt of their failed policies is just silly and validates the broken system.
That is absolutely horrifying. I just searched for it in iTunes and confirmed its existence – unbelievable. Is there somewhere we can report/complain about the application to get it removed? It is exactly this kind of lack of historical perspective that scares me about our world.
Swach Sticker
Eh?
In Germany (where I’m based) using the symbol is even prohibited by law (German link: http://bundesrecht.juris.de/stgb/__86a.html).
I checked and the app is even available in the German App Store. I wonder for how long.
Swach Sticker…? Do you mean Swastika…?
N
Well, the word ‘iPhone’ isn’t mentioned in it, so it’s OK. Note that it has been rated for mild mature and suggestive themes…
Whoever approved this should be fired. Full stop.
Wouldn’t there be even more discussion if Apple actually would ban the app because of it’s logo? (especially since the swastika is an imporant religious symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism)
I think the app itself is fine – it’s a book and I don’t think Apple has the right to censor its existence.
I DO on the other hand disagree with the logo design. It may or may not cause more discussion if it’s removed, due to its other meanings – but in THIS context it’s inappropriate because it’s not being used as a religious symbol.
I can’t see a good reason to ban this app however repugnant the choice of logo may be. It’s a book with a valid historical context, banning it due to it’s content would be very 1984. The logo has dire connotations but is again important in a historical context and again attempting to erradicate it’s use in a historical context would be dangeous revisionism.
I’m not sure how relevant the logo choice is to the book as I’m not an historian, but I thought the logo use arose long after the book was published, so it’s possibly a poor choice from the app publisher and if it has been done for sensationalist and crass marketing reasons then that’s deplorable – but by helping hyping it with hysteria is counter productive.
Who is getting the money on app purchases? Does the uploader own the copyright to publish a book written by Adolf Hitler? Does a nazi-group in Spain (or whereever) bankroll their activities with this?
Sorry, but is a Swatch sticker???
It’s not on the home page but the link from there and the page title still says swatch sticker
Swatch Sticker?!
it says it when people use the old links
Swatch Sticker?!
that’s really too big a failure to not be remembered or noted.
As a jew I am heily offended by this.
That is disguting and should be banned!
Mirko
Swach Sticker? Is that I joke I don’t get? It’s “Swastika” and “in plain sight”.
This is BS. The book appears (with the symbol) in Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Mein-Kampf-Official-Nazi-Translation/dp/097747609X/ref=pd_sim_b_5
and in many other bookstores. It is studied in many history classes.
Pretty much every copy of Mein Kampf on Amazon displays the Swastika
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mein+kampf&sprefix=mein+kamp
Why should it be allowed on texts but not an app. It’s a Nazi text, it’s surely logical to use the logo that the Nazi’s used as the app logo.
Is it really that big of a deal to people? Honestly, its even rediculous that this was even deemed worthy of being “news”. The eBook is obviously of educational/historical value, why would they not use a logo relevant to the subject matter?
If you are all offended so much by a symbol borrowed from religious groups by the Nazis, then I wish you good luck if you ever get off your redneck asses to visit any eastern/Asian countries!
Funny though: The Bavarian State holds the copyright of that book. And does not license it’s retail to anyone. So no matter what: This app is at least a copyright infringement.
FUCK the swastica!
Hey i can understand why this would ruffel a few feathers but does no one see the irony in banning an audio book because it’s about Hitler and the Nazi party? Book burnings to banishment from the app store, hindering the free flow of ideas is never a good thing. If you don’t like the content use your power as a consumer and just refuse to buy the book. Simple as that.
Banning books or applications just because we find them offensive is wrong, we should embrace free speech and allow this kind of material to be available.
The Nazis started by burning books they found offensive, you cannot just delete history, the terrible acts of the Nazis must never be forgotten or deleted from history.
No-one is forcing you to buy this book, vote with your cash and don’t buy it. Censorship however is always wrong.
FWIW, the “swach sticker” (which is in my URL bar as I write this) is apparently the product of voice dictation software that got confused.
Well, the symbol is prohibited in Brazil too, as the book itself (Mein Kampf – something like “my fight”).
There’s no problem with the symbol itself, as mentioned here before, it’s an ancient symbol with anything to do with nazis, BUT in this context is IS the nazi icon, and as so, should be banned.
The topic is controversial, should we impose silence in some matters? But this discussion is far off the point of selecting what can and cannot be available at apple store. And as so, the matter have been discussed in other (more appropriate) places and considered to be banned (at least in the cases of Brazil, Germany, and i’m sure, a lot of other countries).
The Swastika is not the worse thing believe me, the book is! Swastikas on book covers is nothing new indeed, check some old Ludlum or Le Carré book covers.
Mein kampf is banned in Germany and France and is accessible only to scholars and not for sale to the general public.
“Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”
Banning ideas, words, symbols from the marketplace is never the answer. If you don’t have the freedom to express wicked, despicable, horrible thoughts, then you don’t have freedom of expression.
The swastika as shown on the app and related to Nazi paraphernalia is actually not the same as the Asian swastika everyone is writing about. The ancient symbol is more like a + and not an x… I think it’s fine if they want to make the book available but it would have seemed smarter to not include the symbol as the image…
I can definitely buy this book from Barnes and Nobles, swastika and all. Along with many other books that have the swastika on it, and I mean the nazi one, not the Hindu or Buddhist one. People get so offended by nothing, it’s a major part of history, let it be. On another note, everyone arguing that it should be fine because it’s a religious symbol, it’s clearly not being used as a religious symbol, if a swastika is sideways, it’s a nazi symbol, straight up Hindu, and straight up facing left Buddhist, so there’s no argument there. But overall, everyone that says this should be banned, you’re ridiculous, if it’s THAT offensive just don’t buy it, don’t look at it. Maybe you should read Mein Kampf though, it’s actually a really good book ;)
Me personally, it doesn’t offend. The logo however, that’s a completely different story.
where does it say that? it was a mistake in the original title but was changed almost 20 seconds later
I don’t get it – where does it say that?? It was there for about 30 seconds…but gone now. Where does it say it?
… should read: german copyright, don’t know about international rights.
Whats wrong with the logo?
Swastika is a cultural symbol from ancient India,just ‘coz nazis fucked it up doesn’t mean it needs to be banned.
http://reclaimtheswastika.com/