iPhone App With Nude Photos Removed

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - UPDATE, July 2: Krapps.com reports that with the recent media attention, Apple has pulled the BeautyMeter app from its app store. However those who have previously downloaded the app still have access to photos. The app had allowed teens to post nude photos of themselves so they could be rated by users.

MyFox's original story is below.

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With cell phones becoming more prevalent among teens, concerns over how to regulate their usage among young people is emerging. "Sexting" -- sending nude pictures via text message -- is becoming more common, with 20 percent of teens admitting to sexting, according to a recent nationwide survey .

Now an iPhone app is creating cause for concern. Krapps.com reports that the free app called BeautyMeter is becoming a place for teens to post nude photos of themselves. Users then can view their photos and assign a star rating on how attractive they are.

In June Apple pulled an app called Hottest Girls , which included "2200+ images of topless, sexy babes and nude models." In a statement, the company said, "Apple will not distribute applications that contain inappropriate content, such as pornography. The developer of this application added inappropriate content directly from their server after the application had been approved and distributed, and after the developer had subsequently been asked to remove some offensive content. This was a direct violation of the terms of the iPhone Developer Program. The application is no longer available on the App Store."

Even though Apple is doing its best to police its apps, Krapps.com reports that there's been nudity in the App Store for nearly six months -- ever since BeautyMeter launched on Jan. 17.

BeautyMeter developer Funnymals says on its Web site that users are required to provide their iPhone device ID so illegal content can be traced back to their phones. But Wired.com states that BeautyMeter may be protected by the Communications Decency Act because when Apple approved the app, there were no such indecent images. BeautyMeter is now simply acting as a technological facilitator, having no responsibility for the content.

Regardless Mark Rasch, a lawyer and computer security expert for Secure IT Experts, tells Wired that either Apple or Funnymals should take action once they are made aware of the explicit content.

"They probably don't have liability unless they have actual knowledge, in which case they have at least a legal or moral duty to act," Rasch said.

Users expressed their disgust with the BeautyMeter app. "You know that someone out there is using these two applications to look at child pornography. Apple should pull these two applications immediately, and reject all further submissions from the developer that made them," wrote bugd00d on Wired . Added PR3DA7OR1AL, "This is obviously porn, no artistic value here, what-so-ever."

Others came to the defense of Apple. Nose Nuggets wrote on neowin.net , "Yeah, it's stupid to think Apple should be responsible for this stuff. If you have beef, take it up with the guys who run the app. If they aren't actively peddling child porn, I don't think they should have to go out of their way to filter every picture. If they get complaints or are suspicious, take the individual pic down. I don't see the big deal."

But the overarching question many are asking is, what is happening to kids these days? Steeley wrote on neowin , "There's a difference between being a horny 15-year-old and being a teenager that sends naked photos of themselves into the abyss. So no, I would never have done that at her age. And there's the problem -- we just say 'kids will be kids.' I tell you what, the apocalypse would come a distant second to my wrath if I ever caught one of my kids sending naked photos of themselves anywhere."