After pressure from four U.S. senators, Apple Inc. has said it will start rejecting iPhone applications that tip drivers off about police checkpoints for drunken driving.
Apple updated its app developer guidelines Wednesday to exclude such apps. On Thursday, some DUI apps were still available in the App Store, but Apple usually gives developers a chance to update their apps so they can conform to the new guidelines before booting them.
The apps often combine warnings about DUI checkpoints with warnings about speed traps and red-light cameras. Users of the applications help create the warnings by registering the locations.
An Apple spokesman had no comment on the change in the guidelines, and wouldn’t say why the change was made.
Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) asked Apple, Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry, and Google Inc. to remove DUI-avoidance apps in March. RIM complied, but Google refused.
Google runs an application store for phones that use its Android software. The company places far fewer restrictions on application developers than Apple does.
Although Washington state no longer has police checkpoints as they have been deemed unconstitutional, the penalties for a DUI charge in WA are some of the toughest in the nation. The Seattle DUI Lawyers at SQ Attorneys focus their practice on DUI defense and should be immediately contacted upon arrest.
If you or a loved one is faced with a DUI charge in Seattle, Bellevue or some other city in Western Washington, you deserve the assistance of a reputable and qualified Seattle DUI lawyer who will relentlessly defend your case. You deserve a Seattle DUI lawyer who has an intimate understanding of Washington DUI laws and the legal issues that can win your case. You deserve a Seattle DUI Attorney who is not afraid to stand up against the prosecution and aggressively fight for your rights and interests. SQ Attorneys is the right Western Washington DUI law firm for the job. Call for a free initial consultation – (206) 441.0900 (Seattle); (425) 998-8384 (Eastside) – it will be the best decision you make all day.
