Apple starts to cull apps that feature the Confederate flag from the App Store

Following the Charleston shootings in which nine people were killed, debate has raged about whether it is reasonable to display the Confederate flag. A symbol of the South for some, a racist throwback for far more, the flag has already been ditched by the likes of eBay and WalMart. Now Apple has started to clear the App Store of apps that feature the rebel flag.

Developers have been contacted by Apple with a warning that their apps are being dropped "because it includes images of the confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways". While this is clearly the case in some instances, the new policy has also affected Civil War games that include the flag for historical reasons.

The use of the flag is now a more sensitive issue than it ever has been, but the move by Apple has taken game developers by surprise. Maxim Zasov of Game Labs -- the company behind Ultimate General: Gettysburg -- said pride was taken in ensuring the historical accuracy of the game. While some developers are considering removing or replacing the Confederate flag with something else, Zasov said that this was not going to happen with Gettysburg, and the game would no longer be available.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Apple said:

We have removed apps from the App Store that use the Confederate flag in offensive or mean-spirited ways, which is in violation of our guidelines. We are not removing apps that display the Confederate flag for educational or historical uses.

It's not really clear how this sits alongside the removal of war games which, arguably, feature the flag for perfectly legitimate reasons.

Is this just another case of PR as Apple latches onto the cause of the moment, or is it indicative of the company doing what it should? The flag being rightly consigned to history, or is it needless censorship in an attempt to look good?

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