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Sex Offender iPhone Applications Address Legal Constraints

Monday August 10, 2009 8:40 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Last week, TechCrunch noted that the popular Offender Locator iPhone application [App Store, $0.99], a map-based application that pulls data from public records regarding the residences of convicted sex offenders, had disappeared from the App Store. While neither the developers nor Apple provided comment about the application's removal, speculation centered on a California law forbidding the sale of personal information for profit.

We haven't been able to get in touch directly with the developers of the app yet, but we're told that they're looking into the possibility of filing a suit (presumably against Apple) for the removal. So clearly they feel this removal is unjust. But at [sic] we wrote when we covered the app a couple weeks ago, this may have to do with the fact that they were charging for this app. As a couple commenters noted in our last story, "This app is not legal, at least under CA law. Selling the personal information of people (even ex-criminals) for profit is forbidden."

The theory was supported by the continued offering of a limited free version of the application, Offender Locator Lite [App Store, Free], although other users noted that a competing paid application, Sex Offenders Search [App Store, $1.99], continued to appear in the App Store.

The story became clearer over the weekend, as Sex Offenders Search saw its App Store description revised to include a statement regarding removal of data on sex offenders registered in California.

***NOTE*** SOS is currently not displaying data regarding California registered sex offenders until we are certain that doing so is allowed by law.

Users who have already purchased a copy of SOS on or prior to Aug 7, 2009 should still be able to view the complete set of data.

In addition, Offender Locator has reappeared in the App Store with a similar statement appended to its description.

* Note: California sex offender data is unavailable at this time in the paid version of our application. You must use Offender Locator Lite version to access this data.

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runeasgar
Posted: 36 months ago
OMG IT'S ALL APPLE'S FAULT JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER DEVELOPER COMPLAINT!!

oh.. wait..

nevermind.
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Xian Zhu Xuande
Posted: 36 months ago
I love the line about potentially suing Apple. Why not? It's the American way. It's Apple's fault for adhering to laws set in their own state, so let's sue them. I'm starting to think that a large amount of these developer complaints and whining are not as legitimate as they would like us to believe.

The only one I'm still curious about is Google Voice.
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mixel
Posted: 36 months ago
Hmm, I want a "paranoid control freak detection" app, a "people who completely misunderstand the purpose of the legal process" app and an "exploitative money grabbing developer" detection app.
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jessica.
Posted: 36 months ago
Confused:

* Note: California sex offender data is unavailable at this time in the paid version of our application. You must use Offender Locator Lite version to access this data.


If you pay for the app you don't get CA data but if you don't pay you do? How is one less illegal than the other? CA has very ridged privacy laws when it comes to criminal records and sex offenders. Where Florida will post your mug shot online, CA tends to like to hide these people. It is all so backwards in CA.
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guzhogi
Posted: 36 months ago
I work at an elementary school, so when you work with 300 people all under the age of 12, it really helps knowing where sex offenders live & what they look like. These kids usually don't know any better so it's up to the faculty & staff to help make sure the students are in a safe environment. I don't really care if the app is free or not (as long as it's not too expensive) if it helps keep the children safe.

Confused:

If you pay for the app you don't get CA data but if you don't pay you do? How is one less illegal than the other? CA has very ridged privacy laws when it comes to criminal records and sex offenders. Where Florida will post your mug shot online, CA tends to like to hide these people. It is all so backwards in CA.


I can understand California wanting to hide people who have not committed crimes for privacy reasons, but I agree, criminals, especially sex offenders, murderers, etc. should be known. While some can change is prison & learn the error of their ways, I feel it's important to forgive, but not necessarily forget.
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Shookster
Posted: 36 months ago

I can understand California wanting to hide people who have not committed crimes for privacy reasons, but I agree, criminals, especially sex offenders, murderers, etc. should be known. While some can change is prison & learn the error of their ways, I feel it's important to forgive, but not necessarily forget.


If someone's done their time and they've been judged to be a low enough public threat to be released, they're no longer a criminal. They're regular citizens like the rest of us and they should be given the rights that all of us have.
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dscuber9000
Posted: 36 months ago
I tried the free version and all ten of the closest people looked in their 20s and were on there for dating someone underage. I feel kind of bad that they are in there when they clearly aren't dangerous in any way. But that's my opinion.
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Scooterman1
Posted: 36 months ago
Now, if someone could just develop and App that would tie in the Sex Offender Database with Online Dating Apps............
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aristokrat
Posted: 36 months ago
The problem with sex offender registries is that the term has too broad an application. While I understand the idea behind having pedophiles introduce themselves to their neighbors under Megan's Law, the sex offender tracking starts messing with people's lives when crimes such as public urination fall under the category. I fail to see how we are protecting society by making people caught doing minor crimes have to pay for it for the next 20 years of their lives.

And don't even get me started on how ostracizing people with seriously deviant sexual impulses does nothing to help them avoid acting on said impulses. Not that I think we should set them up as janitors in schools or anything, but too often do these people wind up repeating the same behaviors due to the depression of not having a job, friends, or anything positive in their lives anymore because nobody will give them a chance to do anything else.
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niuniu
Posted: 36 months ago
Tell you what, when I have kids, I'll have that app installed pronto. Great idea, hope it lives on.
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