Apple banning jail-breakers from App Store

By Iain Thomson on Feb 18, 2010 6:52 AM
Filed under Software

Barred from site as 'security risk'.

Apple appears to be banning people associated with jail-breaking its products from using the App Store.

Sherif Hashim, the developer who successfully hacked the iPhone, told technology blog Redmond Pie that he could no longer use the App Store after he received a message that he was blocked for "security reasons".

"'Your Apple ID was banned for security reasons.' That's what I get when I try to go to the App Store. They must be really angry," he said in a Twitter post.

Another iPhone jail-breaking specialist, who goes under the name 'iH8sn0w', reported via Twitter that he too is banned from the App Store. 'iH8sn0w' developed the Sn0wbreeze application that gives iPhone users full control over their handset.

"@sherif_hashim lol, they did that to my ih8sn0wyday[@t]googmail.com too. (right after I posted XEMN)," he said in a Twitter post.

It is too soon to say whether banning identified iPhone hackers will become policy at Apple, but the banning of two high-profile jail-breakers is unusual, to say the least.

Apple had no comment at the time of publication.

Apple banning jail-breakers from App Store

2 comments in this discussion

"But then, who in their right mind would buy an iPhone in the first place? You buy Apple, you buy proprietary, and that's what you get. You should know this before buying Apple. @legless, you may ..."

By Ace

Tags

app, apple, banning, iphone, store, security

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Comments: 2

legless

Feb 18, 2010 6:53 PM

This is just typical of Apple's restrictive policies. How dare they decide what someone can and cannot install and run on his/her phone after legally purchasing it.

It's like Braun saying you can only use white bread and not multigrain in one of its toasters or be banned from the bread store, or Panasonic telling buyers of its plasma TVs that they can only watch channel 7's news not channel 9's.

Personally I think if an app competes with one that Apple sells, it won't be allowed. If someone wants to install an app that might compromise his phone, that is none of Apple's business.

Ace

Feb 19, 2010 12:18 PM

But then, who in their right mind would buy an iPhone in the first place? You buy Apple, you buy proprietary, and that's what you get. You should know this before buying Apple.

@legless, you may not have been around at the time, but pretty much all computer systems used to be exactly the same. You buy and IBM, you can only install IBM hardware & software. Same with DG, Wang, MAI, Burroughs, Unisys etc etc. Apple still pines for those 'good old days'.

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