Apple Nixes App Reporting Drone Strikes

A new app keeps you up to date on where and when US drones have killed victims—but don't expect to pick it up from Apple's App Store. The company has repeatedly turned down the program developed by a New York University grad student, and he says he understands. "They don't want to have anything that could be considered controversial by anyone. I get that," he tells the Los Angeles Times.

Apple says the Drones+ app "contains content that many audiences would find objectionable." The program collects credible reports on strikes and shows where others have occurred nearby. Student Josh Begley could try the reportedly more relaxed Google Play store, but he's in no rush; indeed, he never expected many downloads. "The point is that we choose to get notified about lots of stuff on our own, like Twitter mentions. But even if we had access to this information about these drone attacks, would we choose to use it?" he says.