*See update below*
The Mirror App, a tool created for iPhone 4 that turns the front-facing camera into a vanity mirror with various light and color settings, was temporarily banned from the iTunes store after the Apple deemed some of the content "obscene, pornographic, or defamatory."
The "objectional" material happened to be images of America's Next Top Model contestant Lyudmila ('Mila') Bouzinova, who was pictured in the app's demo screenshots. Bouzinova appeared shirtless, but is shown only from the shoulders up. (You can view some of these images here.)
According to the app's official rejection letter from Apple, reproduced by Appmodo, these screenshots were dubbed "objectionable to certain age groups" and did not "meet the requirements for a 4+ rating (no objectionable material)."
Once DLP Mobile removed the images, Apple approved the Mirror App. Nevertheless, a spokesperson for DLP Mobile told the Huffington Post that it was a "gross exaggeration" on the part of "Job's [sic] army of prudes" to call the photos "inappropriate" or to associate them with pornography.
In the past, Apple has made some controversial decisions about the apps it approves and rejects. Recently, Apple rejected CNET Executive Editor David Carnoy's book app because of "tawdry" language; Carnoy later got a book deal with another publisher. Click here to view the most outrageous banned apps.
Do you think the Apple was justified in banning the app because of the photos? Weigh in below.
UPDATE: Lyudmila Bouzinova shared a statement on the photos contained in the app with the Huffington Post:
The photos were taken on 7th Avenue in New York City thus I was required by law to be wearing a top. That top happened to be strapless. These images showcase the use of Mirror App to check my reflection. I wouldn't have needed the App to notice I had forgotten a shirt. Surely somebody on the crowded streets would have let me know.
(via Gizmodo)