TechTree| January 5, 2010 | Samir Makwana
Censorware to protect minors from accessing objectionable content
The relationship between Apple and the Japanese government hasn’t been great last year. After cases of exploding Apple iPod batteries were reported, Japan is once again complaining about Apple. If Google’s squabble with China over content filtering wasn’t enough, here is another war over content filtering.
According to a report in the Japanese Daily Mainichi, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has criticized Apple Japan and SoftBank Mobile, for offering “insufficient” content control for minors. Japan has strict legal rules for mobile Internet usage by minors. Censorship is quite a serious issue in the East.
Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will notify both SoftBank Mobile and Apple to devise and install content filtering software on the iPhone as soon as possible. This content filtering software will restrict the minors from accessing any ‘harmful’ content on the mobile web, not even accidentally.
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