SEX DISNEY: Does Android Market Need An Adult Category? [NSFW]

An interesting debate started at AndroidForums over a series of applications called SexyBody_v# by a developer named “Sex Disney”. An AF member was searching Android Market for “Disney” in an attempt to find applications for their daughter and what came up? An app icon of naked chicks for SexyBody_v1 through SexyBodyv7:

Even worse, click through to the actual application and yielded “screenshots” which are just nude photos of women:

Check out the description:

Very beautiful Japanese girls without clothes.
Big boobs,sexy body.
You can’t resist their temptation…

Yes… I’m sure this is exactly what someone searching “Disney” wanted to find. I’m happy to see that all traces of the application and the developer have been erased from Android Market,  but I have to wonder if that was for trademark infringement, violation of Android Market TOS, or both? I’m guessing both.

Either way, it brings up an interesting question of whether or not Google needs an “Adult” category for Android Market.

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My personal opinion is “Yes” but I can see how one would want to protect the sanctity of openness by saying no. Once you force yourself to draw the line between adult and not-adult you start having to make more judgement calls and as time goes by all of a sudden you’ve morphed into Apple. Ew… nobody wants that.

But look at what AT&T did with the Backflip. The greatly restricted Android’s capabilities by disallowing non-market apps and preventing some apps from being deleted. I think it would be GREAT if the owner of a service plan could tell their carrier to “lock” the phone as a children’s phone. It would essentially prevent non-market apps from being downloaded in addition to filtering all “Adult” apps out of the market listings. I could also see this being an “option” in the settings of each individual phone, too.

The main problem here is whose responsibility is it? Google’s? Should the carriers handle it? Maybe it should be addressed by parents themselves? Or perhaps Developers should have to mark their application as containing “adult” content and if they fail to do so face possible Android Market banishment?

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But of course, kids will find a way to see what they want – the interwebz exists.

But that’s not really the point –  is it? Should people who DON’T want to see the sexier/smuttier stuff have to pass through it when wading through results and browsing Android Market listings?

You tell us.

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