Comment by nerdjon
4 years ago
You said other apps are fine, but are those other apps advertising themselves as parental controls or as stalking software?
I took a look at your website https://truple.io and... there is very little mention of this being for parents. TBH looking at the website is... deeply concerning for anyone that would legitimately want to use this product. Especially on a spouse?!?
I am willing to bet part of the issue is the targeting for this app. The functionality is likely second, but they may have special rules when it comes to parental apps. But there is a very very fine line there that can be dangerous when it comes to surveillance.
Last... I find your focus on "online filth" insulting.
> You said other apps are fine, but are those other apps advertising themselves as parental controls or as stalking software?
Search for "accountability software", and you'll find apps advertised in a very similar manner that have had no issues with Apple, with absolutely no mentioning of parental controls.
> I took a look at your website https://truple.io and... there is very little mention of this being for parents. TBH looking at the website is... deeply concerning for anyone that would legitimately want to use this product. Especially on a spouse?!?
It's used voluntarily by the device owner. It's not used "on" anyone. The whole point of this is to provide accountability. Including a comment from below I'd hoped would get pinned: "Some may not agree with the use of parental control/accountability software. That's fine. Truple is not designed for you. There are tons of people who are negatively impacted by technology and they desperately need/want help. They should have the option to get it, and there should be competition in the space to deliver the best product for them. In today's world, using the internet is a part of life, and isn't something you can reasonably go without. Truple was built to help people learn to use technology responsibly with the help of their loved ones."
> Last... I find your focus on "online filth" insulting.
Online filth was intended to generalize the concerns, not focus them.
I looked up a few alternatives and your website and marketing tell a very different story.
"Online filth" is in your website header, so your kinda focusing on them. I looked at the reviews and your most recent one continues to reinforce something about "filth" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.camhart.ne...
As far as not being used "on" someone. Again you have reviews from Spouses and Parents which would imply they are being used "on" someone. Something I noticed the other apps focus on is individual accountability. I see almost no reference to spouses or parents there. Just having some you trust to be accountable too.
Your first line on google play says "Truple protects your loved ones against porn & other online filth. It holds your loved ones accountable in a way that's near impossible to bypass by capturing and sharing screenshots." How exactly is that not it being "used on anyone"?
Your marketing around this tells a story of surveillance trying to pass it off as some "good" where accountability is a secondary issue. While here you are focused on accountability.
And personally I have to wonder if Apple takes this into account when approving apps (which I assume they do)
Suppose I'm addicted to porn and that it's damaging my marriage. I want to be free of it. But when I pick my phone up, I'm tempted to view it. I know I want to be free of it. I don't want my life to suffer any more as a result of it. But I need help, because in those weaker moments my will power isn't sufficient. This is where making it difficult to bypass comes in. Keep in mind difficult do bypass doesn't equal "can't be removed", it means it can be removed but an alert is sent if it is removed. They can't bypass it without triggering an alert, therefore it's not been bypassed (at least by my definition/use of the word bypass).
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I don’t get this. Porn is filth. What’s the problem with that categorization? We can’t both classify it as “oh it empowers women” and “lest a penis ever be shown anywhere.”
Which one is it?
Edit: lol @ “flagged”
Buncha idiots. Answer my question instead.
> Search for "accountability software", and you'll find apps advertised in a very similar manner
I googled a bit and found [1] and [2]. Their marketing is very very different from yours [3].
[1] looks very tasteful, considering they are basically spyware. It's a very positive spin with great copywriting.
[2] gives me some Christian vibes, it's not for me, but it still looks decent.
[3] on the other hand just looks really creepy. The copy is awkward and the hectic GIF with the screenshots and the bikini picture just gives me stalker vibes.
It's a question of taste. Great Mac and iPhone are done very tastefully. Truple is missing that.
(That doesn't mean that Apple only approves tasteful apps. There are a lot of poorly designed apps on the app store. But if you are doing something even slightly questionable, and your app looks a bit creepy, then Apple is not going to go out of their way to help you get it out there, even if you aren't breaking any explicit rules.)
[1]: https://accountable2you.com [2]: https://everaccountable.com/ref/61/ [3]: https://truple.io
> It's a question of taste. Great Mac and iPhone are done very tastefully. Truple is missing that.
It is wild to me that there is a megacorporation whose subjective opinion of "tastefulness" (based on their own North American cultural norms) is a gate to software delivery and that there is an entire category of users who actually think this is a good thing.
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What are some of the comparable applications you're thinking about? Can you link to them? You know more about the space than most of us, so help us out a bit.
I've been hesitant to do so. Look at the top several results from https://www.google.com/search?q=porn+accountability+app for apps that don't even try to advertise as parental focused apps.
If you want direct links, send me an email (you can find it in my profile).
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>filth
This is a sort of "smelly" word to see in an advertisement, in that referring to material as "filth" brings up memories/images of, for want of a better phrase, cultural intolerance. You may get better reception by calling such content "improper" or something less emotionally charged.
Note that parental control apps are a type of stalking software; it's just that society is okay with it.
I feel so gross after looking at that site I think I need to watch some porn.
> I am willing to bet part of the issue is the targeting for this app.
Then why can't Apple just fucking say that? Why all the stupid drama?
Likely for the same reason that not every rule about combating spam and promotion on HN is public: because if you document them all, you're providing a blueprint to bad actors for how to get around the rules.
Integrity by obscurity?
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