Apple has a secret. Well, it's not really a well-kept one because everybody knows that the Cupertino-company was told to remove the Secret app from the Brazilian App Store.
Apple complied with the order of a Brazilian court to remove the Secret app for failing to comply with the App Store Guidelines.
"Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users. It is the developer's obligation to understand and conform to all local laws," reads the section 22.1 of the App Store Guidelines.
The local laws of Brazilian say such apps are illegal in the country. Freedom of expression is honored but not anonymous.
"The expression of thought is free, and anonymity is forbidden," reads the Constitution of Brazil, Article 5 Section IV.
Numerous complaints were filed saying the secret app has become a channel for bullying since you can post and send messages anonymously. The removal of an app from the store means it cannot be downloaded anymore. However, those who already have the app do not need to worry as it won't be disabled remotely.
Secret is an anonymous messaging app that was made available on the Brazilian App Store. Downloads were recently stopped after an injunction by a Vitoria civil court. The app is still on the App Store but can no longer be downloaded from the Brazilian App Store. The app is only banned in Brazil as others who have non-Brazilian accounts can still download it.
Brazilian Judge Paulo Cesar de Carvalho said that to have a comment removed, the complainant would have to go to a U.S. judge via the foreign ministry of Brazil. Secret's promise of anonymity and identifying user information are not constitutional.
Apple was not the only one ordered to make Secret unavailable for download. Microsoft and Google were also asked to block downloads of Secret plus its client called Cryptic. The two companies still have a week to comply.
Right on the Brazilian App Store, one cannot simply download. It would show a message saying "The item you've requested is not currently available in the Brazilian Store" when the anonymous app is searched.
