iTMS dropping mature content?
Xeni over at Boing Boing is reporting that "adult" podcasts are being dropped from the iTMS, and adult podcasters are gnashing their teeth and rending their, er, bodices. It's not entirely clear what's happening, though. After reading Xeni's piece, I swung by the iTMS: all 13 casts of Violet Blue's Open Source Sex (one of the authors who talked to Xeni) seem to be there, and a search for "sex" returns 25 hits. I'm sure that represents only a fraction of the kinky things people are doing with their iPods, but it hardly looks like a crackdown in progress. Still, it's an interesting question, and I'd be curious to know how our readers feel: should Apple be making "explicit" and "mature content" casts available? If not, where and how should they draw the line?
Personally, I think it's a tough call. I'm a firm believer in free speech, but I have sympathy for Apple's need to protect its reputation and not open itself up to liability. All in all, I'd say the fact that the conversation is taking place is a prime example of why I get nervous when corporations, especially ones positioned for radical influence, get involved in the distribution of free content. And of why we need to watch closely how all this develops, because there's more at stake than just RSS specs. For now, though, I guess the question is: will the iTunes Phones have a vibrate setting?
