iTorrent Removed via Notarization Due to Sanctions
Ernesto Van der Sar (Hacker News, MacRumors, Slashdot):
Under EU law, Apple is required to give its users more freedom to install apps that are not listed in the official App Store. This allows for easier access to software that’s typically prohibited by Apple, including the popular iTorrent BitTorrent client. The iTorrent client built a steady user base over the past year, but that came to an abrupt end when Apple decided to revoke the developer’s alternative distribution rights.
[…]
In July, several users complained that they were unable to download iTorrent from AltStore PAL. Initially the cause of the problem was unclear but the app’s developer, XITRIX, later confirmed that Apple itself had stepped in.
Apparently, Apple had revoked the developer’s “alternative distribution” right, which is required to publish apps in alternative stores, including AltStore PAL.
Jess Weatherbed (Hacker News):
In a statement to The Verge, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian said, “Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”
Apple did not reach out the developer before revoking the app and took more than a month to provide any explanation.
I did some quick searches and was not able to find any specific information about countries sanctioning BitTorrent or any recent changes that might have prompted Apple’s actions.
The app’s developer says the move was carried out without notice, without explanation, and with no way to appeal, effectively cutting off access to a legal torrenting tool that had been gaining popularity across Europe over the past year.
The technology behind torrenting is lawful, and you can use it for legitimate purposes. However, its misuse can lead to severe penalties. Torrenting copyrighted material, for example, can lead to fines and potentially even jail time.
Really hard to run a marketplace when apps can disappear randomly without our control and we can’t do anything about it 😓
I don’t like this vision of computing where some governments can decide what apps you’re allow to run on your device…
Previously:
- Clip Rejected via Notarization
- Mini vMac for iOS Rejected via Notarization
- BitTorrent Apps in AltStore PAL
- Epic Games Store Blocked via Notarization
- UTM Blocked Outside App Store via Notarization
- iOS Notarization’s Human Review
6 Comments RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
Assuming Apple is telling the truth... "without [prior] notice" and "without any way to appeal" seem pretty straightforward. "without explanation" less so, though we have certainly seen that some countries gag recipients of orders from even saying they have received an order, let alone giving detail.
> I don’t like this vision of computing where some governments can decide what apps you’re allow to run on your device…
Welcome to the digital world. This has been happening for literal decades at this point.
A few things come to mind:
• This is why side loading should be regulated. Apple shouldn't have any control over applications in other stores
• If you torrent one movie, you can get fined or jail time. If you use a thousand movies to train your AI, they give you billions of dollars. Some people have actually convinced themselves this makes sense
@Kevin “Sanctions” to me sounds very different from a secret notice. They should be able to point to a specific regulation or executive order. But at this point we don’t even know which countries are at issue?
And why should sanctions from one country affect availability in the whole region?
@AB If it’s because of being in Russia, I guess Apple already cut off Enterprise developers in February so the timing doesn’t exactly line up, and I would have expected to see a story about Russian developers being banned in general.
For fuck sake. At this point, "why can't I just download software from a website and run it on my computer" is the 21st century equivalent of "You kids get off my lawn!"
I officially feel old. I don't know why but this was it. In my day people wrote software, compiled it, put it on a computer, I downloaded it from that computer, and ran it, and nobody else had a damn thing to say about it.
And yes @Kevin is right, the government always had something to say about it and always could and many many times did come and take those computers away and put people in jail when they were actually causing real problems.
I fail to see how any of this is different today except the control has been successfully centralized in a private corporation and therefore the government, just like so many people we claim to hate always wanted.
