by The government of Brazil isn’t amused by the Secret app, which lets you make comments you normally wouldn’t make on Facebook or Twitter under the protection of anonymity. In fact, it’s so incensed by the app that it’s ordered Apple to remove the app from the App Store (which it has) and also to remove it remotely from iPhones (which it hasn’t.)
Usually Secret’s used for confessing your attraction to the local bartender or whatever, but folks in Brazil were also using it to express their dissatisfaction with the political status quo. That’s a big no-no in Brazil, apparently.
The country reportedly embraces free speech, but verbal attacks can’t be posted anonymously. Specifically, according to Article 5, Section IV of the Constitution of Brazil (via 9to5Mac): “the expression of thought is free, and anonymity is forbidden.” The idea here is to give the offended parties someone to reply to and defend their actions.
The ruling extends to other phones as well, most notably those supporting Google’s Android operating system. Apple has reportedly removed the app from its Brazilian App Store, but it hasn’t taken the invasive step of removing it from the phones themselves. If it does, this may be a first for Cupertino company.
Apple’s App Store guidelines state that “apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users,” which proves why the company was quick to pull the app. The app remains fully functional elsewhere in the world via both the iOS App Store and the Google Play store.
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