"Apple under fire for potential incitement of prejudice towards minority groups"
Apple Customization Policies Under Scrutiny: Berlin Influencer Accuses Tech Giant of Discrimination
In a recent development, Berlin influencer Ole Liebl has accused Apple of being "racist" and "homophobic" regarding their customization policies. Liebl, known for his tech expertise, made the accusations after he was prevented from engraving certain words, including "gay", for "protection of minors" reasons.
According to Liebl's Instagram post (@oleliebl), which has gained significant attention, he was able to engrave offensive terms such as the N-word, "fascist", "pedophile", "Nazi", and the C-word without issue on Apple products.
The controversy surrounding Apple's customization options is not a new phenomenon. Since 2019, Apple has not allowed engraving of offensive, vulgar, discriminatory, or legally restricted words and phrases on personalized iPhones to ensure appropriateness and comply with legal and community standards. However, the engraving policies for alternative smartphones may differ.
It is worth noting that over a third of people in this country use Apple products, with the iPhone being in the possession of more than 30 percent of Germans. Apple offers the option of engraving for most of its products for free, a feature that has been available since the early 2000s, initially for the iPod, and later extended to other products such as the iPad, AirPods, and the Apple Pencil.
The Berliner Zeitung reports that the discussion about the selection of banned terms is a recent development. Apple did not provide an explanation for the discrepancy in allowed words. The tech expert has tested four new iPhone models in a professional test, and the tested iPhones offer good design and top performance, and are available at a lower cost compared to the iPhone 11.
Liebl's followers are expressing outrage in the comments, calling Apple "homophobic" and "racist" and urging a boycott. Apple has not yet responded to the accusations made by Ole Liebl. Many users are particularly concerned about the N-word in Apple's customization policies and believe the company should improve this.
Since 2019, Apple has also offered an emoji and symbol engraving option for its iPhones. The engraving option for these alternative smartphones was not specified in the provided text. It remains to be seen how Apple will respond to these accusations and whether they will make any changes to their iPhone customization policies.
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