Apple has begun rejecting coronavirus apps from the App Store, unless they are published by recognized institutions, to reduce the spread of misinformation.
According to CNBC, independent developers have had their applications related to coronavirus either removed or rejected from the App Store, such as those which “would allow people to see stats about which countries have confirmed cases.”
Some of the legitimate applications used official government data and sourced World Health Organization in their findings, but Apple appears to be strict on this new rule.
When asked about their app being rejected, one developer was told by Apple that anything that was related to the coronavirus outbreak would only be accepted if it was developed and released by an official health organization or government, with a separate developer receiving a response from the company to suggest that “apps with information about current medical information need to be submitted by a recognized institution.”
One source told CNBC: “Apple has been specifically evaluating coronavirus apps to prevent the spread of misinformation.
“It looks at both where the health data comes from and whether the developers represent organizations that users can trust to publish accurate data, like governments or health-focused organizations, according to a person familiar with the matter.”
In response to the ongoing outbreak, Apple made changes to its App Store guidelines yesterday, adding a new item called 5.1.1.ix, telling developers that apps in “highly-regulated” fields like healthcare, financial services, or air travel can only be submitted by “legal entity that provides the services, and not by an individual developer.”
The long-term implications of this new rule remain to be seen, but it could result in legitimate independent healthcare and aviation apps removed from the store.
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