“Now available for download through iTunes: raunchy sex banter, erotic storytelling sessions and reviews of pornographic Web sites,” Vauhini Vara reports for The Wall Street Journal. “Last month, Apple Computer Inc.’s online music store launched a directory of podcasts — audio shows that can be downloaded free from the Internet and usually feature amateurs discussing mainstream topics like cars, sports and independent music. At the same time, it also opened its doors to a racier genre of audio files that some are calling ‘porncasts.'”
Vara reports, “With names like ‘Fetish Flame’ and ‘Open Source Sex,’ the adult podcasts are often created by self-proclaimed sex experts who have cheap recording software, a bit of free time and little or nothing in the way of professional radio experience. Many of the rambling audio shows focus on the creators’ sex lives, often punctuated with stutters, long pauses and the occasional, ‘Um, so, what should we talk about next?'”
“Dawn Miceli and her husband, Drew Domkus, host ‘The Dawn and Drew Show.’ Violet Blue is the voice of “‘Open Source Sex,’ a show that serves up sex advice and readings of erotic fiction,” Vara reports. “As podcasting reaches a more mainstream audience, the more risque audio shows — and Apple’s role in distributing them — could come under greater scrutiny. Apple declined to say whether any of its users have complained about the adult podcasts, which can be downloaded by anyone regardless of age. The company said it could potentially pull programs that it deems too explicit, but declined to say whether it has done so yet.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple iTunes Music Store shows explicit porn-style album artwork without warning – July 12, 2005
Mossberg: Some openly pornographic podcasts slip onto Apple’s iTunes Music Store – July 06, 2005
You can’t please everyone. Apple can pull what they deem inappropriate, but there will always be someone who doesn’t think its enough. As far as I’m concerned, its the parent’s job to know what their children are doing online. If that means putting the computer in an open area (i.e. living room) and, God forbid, actually paying attention to what they do, then so be it. Like I said, no matter what Apple chooses to do, they won’t please everyone. It is ultimately the parent’s responsibility.
Porncasts. Funny.
I just listened to my first porncast. It was Anne Coulter moaning about how hot Rush Limbaugh is, and how much she’d like to jump Dubya’s evil bones. When she started going on and on about how sexy Karl Rove would be in a teddy and a studded bustier, that’s when I had to turn that swill off. I hate these people. Aren’t they burning in the Hot Place yet?
Is there any erotic staff in WSJ?
The beauty of Podcasting is that it is non-regulated. I don’t think Apple should sensor any of it.
It’s not reasonable for Apple to listen to every podcast and then judge it. Same with the lyrics for the songs on the iTunes store.
Apple’s about to descend into the gutter with the rest-TV -rap-crap, and on and on.
MW-once, as in, once there was decency.
Apple is going to get pwned by Lieberman, just like GTA got pwned.
Goodness, gracious, gosh, golly and geewhiz, folks!
Just the mere mention of “porncasts” on this website will likely get it banned or at least blocked from just about every kid-friendly browser and search engine until it filters back out again – oops – maybe never – these conversations seem to linger and linger and linger in archiveland and can even come back to haunt from time to time. Then again the usual timbre of comments in some threads on this site are enough to turn many an eye askance anyway.
What’s that? Can’t hear me? Turn up the VOLUME!
Why some people are so hung up on sex is beyond me. I would’ve thought violence is something that people would be concerned about. It’s the same in Australia. Our federal government is about to ban a game (Grand Theft Auto 3) not because of the violence but because of sex.
Frankly, I’m sick and bloody tired of people demanding what adults can see or listen to…it’s just plain wrong. By all means such content should be restricted from minors, but these so called moralists should get a reality check, or just leave us all alone.
IPod…?
Nope.
Mine’s a PornPod…
and I subscribe to PodSmut…
Where is Hilary Clinton when we need her?
Senator, protect our kids from Drew Domkus.
Don’t let our kids hear Dawn pussy whip that poor bastard.
It is the parents job to parent their kids, not Apples, not Ozzy, not Judas Priest, not Kiss, not Howard Stern, not Andrew Dice Clay or not any of us.
Adult Porn does not “ruin” of Harm anything. Naturally with Child porn they should shoot the assholes who they catch doing that stuff right in the head.
“Apple’s about to descend into the gutter with the rest-TV -rap-crap, and on and on.
MW-once, as in, once there was decency.”
like those old tv shows when the husband & wife slept in different beds
WOW! Dawn & Drew is considered porn? I’d probably label it mature just for the random sex talk, but porn? I listen to the show because it makes me laugh not because it makes me horny. Since when is talking about sex the equivalent of porn?
“It is the parents job to parent their kids, not Apples, not Ozzy, not Judas Priest, not Kiss, not Howard Stern, not Andrew Dice Clay”
What is this? 1989? Weren’t there any more recent cases to cite?
But It’s a valid point. All Apple has to do it limit these style Podcasts to adults only. That’s not too much to ask. Certainly it’s my job to parent my kid, but when companies like Apple do something silly like this; or companies make games like GTA all in the name of “fun” it makes my job needlessly much harder. These companies DO have some responsibility.
It is not the job of apple to monitor and limit what people have access to, parents who don’t want their children to have access to stuff should monitor usage.
However I would say that with the addition of all the new parental controls in Tiger that can limit website, email, ichat access it may make sense in the view of consistency to add a feature to OS X to only allow access to podcasts that have been validated by a parent – if they so wish.
Bandit Bill:
If you’re going to make some stand about the freedom of speech, at least spell CENSOR right… and that isn’t censorship even if Apple did remove those Podcasts. If you’re an American, you need a lesson on the First Amendment.
G-Damnit! Here is a note to you parents. Keep your friggin kids out of my radio and TV. I’m sick and tired of not being able to watch what I want to watch, listen to what I want to listen to because some parents are not paying attention to their kids.
Don’t complaint to me that your kids found something sexual. Jesus. I have yet to hear any Porn on a pod cast. Sexual joking is NOT porn. If anything there just isn’t enough sex talk. If there was then maybe you wouldn’t be so f-ing uptight.
Now go to your room and for gods sake don’t listen to the porn – you might touch yourself.
It’s far too easy to lay all responsibility of childrens exposure to violence, porn and other child-unfriendly stuff in the hands of the parents alone.
We got more stuff to do than hover over our kids 24 hours per day! That may sound harsh to those who have no children, but once you do, you will notice that you still have a life to take care of and a living to make, apart from being a parent. Childcare is a responsible enough job, without someone adding to its already demanding requirements.
We parents, nor our children, ever asked for this stuff to be produced and broadcast, so I feel that in our attempts to avoid it, those who proliferate it should by rights at least help us in those attempts.
Surely those who produce and broadcast it, have some responsibility? If not by law (I think they do, by the way) then at least morally.
As far as I’m concerned, this stuff takes away from my ‘Mac-experience’. Steve Jobs, will it really take a judge for you to do the right thing? It would make a great dent in my respect for you as a person and entrepreneur.
But haven’t you realized that today’s children are more computer savvy than their parents. Courses such as “keyboarding” and “intro to information tech” are being taught as early as Grade 3 !!!
Parental Controls may seemingly enpower an adult with the tools to accomplish whatever task, but it is each child’s upbringing, beliefs, environment and ultimately, their curiosity that will enable many to surpass any hurdles that confront them. SO DON’T BE SURPRISED when you discover that they have bypassed the imposed security measures.
Like hackers, children have a curiosity that will
I think the best thing for Apple to do is integrate the podcast “Explicit” ratings into Tiger’s Parental Controls sys. prefs pane. That thing is great, but needs more control. Matter of fact, it’d be cool if the pref. pane allowed parents to block out songs with explicit tags from the iTMS . I know it’s only a mac solution, but that’ll be another plus for when they start selling Intel boxes, no? “My mac does it. Your windows box will too, if you buy the necessary software…”
:: yawn ::
Thank God the iPod was designed to be easily operated with just one hand…
I’ve stopped trying to come up with funny posts for this topic and instead am focused on variations of “WindowsVista” — like “WindowsPiss-ya” — hmmmm… the new name doesn’t exactly roll off your tongue, does it?
Have the first viruses for the Windows Piss-Ya beta been written yet?
Who really even cares, I have better things to do with my time (like sitting motionless in an empty room) than read about Microsoft’s next shit-fest OS crap-o-rama.