Apple Removes Secret App From Brazilian App Store

Apple, following a recent court ruling, has made removed the Secret app from its App Store in Brazil.

"The item you've requested is not currently available in the Brazilian Store," states the App Store when searching for the anonymous social app, reports 9to5Mac about Secret's removal.

The report cites a source 'close to the situation' to claim Apple's justification for the removal of the Secret app was Section 22.1 of the App Store guidelines, "Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users. It is the developer's obligation to understand and conform to all local laws."

9to5mac also reports that until now, there have been no reports of Apple disabling the app remotely on the users' handsets - which is Apple's much-rumoured but never confirmed 'blacklisting' technique, where apps on the list are rendered inoperable when the iOS device checks into Apple servers.

In addition, Google and Microsoft seem to be thus far ignoring the Brazilian judge's order, as there has been no news about the tech giants removing the Secret and Cryptic (a Secret app client for Windows Phone) app from their respective app markets.

To recall - Apple, Google and Microsoft, were given 10 days to remove the Secret and Cryptic apps from their respective app stores in Brazil. The disciplinary action was taken by Brazilian judge Paulo Cesar de Carvalho, and is thought to be a consequence of public prosecutor Marcelo Zenkner recently proposing a ban on the Secret and Cryptic apps, claiming they violated Brazilian law which prohibits anonymous freedom of expression.

As per Article 5, Section IV of the Constitution of Brazil "the expression of thought is free, and anonymity is forbidden." Zenkner had in his proposal to ban the Secret app cited a case where a marketing consultant Bruno Machado had found nude images published on Secret with captions implying he is HIV-positive.