Apple Sued For Man's Porn Addiction

coolnumbr12 writes "Chris Sevier, a 36-year-old man from Tennessee, got so addicted to porn videos that his wife took his children and left him. Now he has sued Apple saying the company failed to install any filter in its devices to prevent his addiction. In a 50-page complaint, Sevier calls Apple a 'silent poisoner' responsible for the proliferation of 'arousal addiction, sex trafficking, prostitution, and countless numbers of destroyed lives.' Sevier is seeking damages from Apple, but said he we will drop the lawsuit if Apple agrees to sell devices with a 'safe mode.'"

Comments

safe mode

[RichMan]

Remove the battery. Your device is now configured in safe mode. Unless you are disturbed by a black screen the device is now configured not to present offensive material.

Any material is possible to be a problem to someone. As "safe mode" cannot be sufficiently defined yet leave the device with any function at all "safe mode" is impossible".

Re:safe mode

[alen]

remove the battery? this is an iphone we are talking about

Not his fault

[MrEricSir]

What was he supposed to do? It's not his fault Apple makes such sexy hardware.

Re:Not his fault

[cyclopropene]

What was he supposed to do? It's not his fault Apple makes such sexy hardware.

Get an iBurka?

Re:Not his fault

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

What was he supposed to do? It's not his fault Apple makes such sexy hardware.

Please observe the symbol on reverse side of your Apple product, facing away from the screen. Look at that: A tasty apple, with a bite taken out.

The fool. He picks up an internet connected device marked with the symbol of man's descent into sin(and nakedness) and then is surprised when his concupiscent flesh is besotted with unclothed harlots? Isn't that the most plausible outcome?

Re:Not his fault

[Rob Riggs]

Computers don't download porn; people download porn.

Personal Responsibility

[Sparticus789]

If this continues, every item sold within the US is going to have a 89-page disclaimer. It is bad enough that insulated cups have warnings about the contents being hot, now electronic devices need to have a disclaimer about the internet having pornography? This guy is literally, blaming the messenger (company that makes the device), for this his own actions and lack of self-control. Plenty of people can use the internet and even peruse sexual content without having their lives destroyed.

Maybe he should have tried getting a life and setting his priorities, instead of watching the Farrah Abraham video.

Re:Personal Responsibility

[bonehead]

I remember a time when people were expected to take responsibility for their own actions. The world was a much better place then.

Now everyone who engages in anti-social / psychopathic behavior is a "victim". We blame government. We blame society. And best of all, we blame inanimate objects. But under no circumstances can we point out that the guy actually chose to behave in the way he did, and that he is entirely, 100% to blame for the situation he finds himself in.

(I'm not saying that viewing pornography is "in general" anti-social behavior, however, within the context of the boundaries of his marriage, it apparently qualified.)

I'm suing slashdot

[nitehawk214]

For years and years of not getting my work done.

Re:I'm suing slashdot

[DigitAl56K]

I'm suing slashdot

"... just as soon as I get off slashdot."

Re:False Flag

[Gription]

It is this sort of stupidity that I think the creationists could use as an effective argument against evolution.
- The fact that SO MANY people have no ability to take any responsibility for their actions and the fact that people don't overwhelmingly blast them for their insane helplessness seems to be some level of proof that humans have no evolved traits for any self responsibility. I would expect that self responsibility would have to be part of any sort of evolved survival traits.

(or maybe we need to release more tigers in our cities to get the old awareness going again...)

As a recovering porn addict, I find this stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

For several years, pornography ruled my life. I lost my family over it. I lost my self respect over it. It was causing such deep depression that I nearly lost my life over it. Being in IT, I could get around any filters. If I wanted porn online, I found porn online. Simple as that. I finally broke my addiction to it and got my life back together. So, I feel the pain of the person who TFA speaks of.

That all being said...

This. Is. Stupid. Why not just sue The Internetz and your ISP and your carrier and every person who's ever produced pornography, and Samsung for making iPhone screens and... you get the point.

Stopping the addiction does not rely on Apple blocking porn on your iPhone. It involves taking responsibility, getting help, and STOPPING.

Re:As a recovering porn addict, I find this stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

This.

I too am a recovering porn addict. 15 months 'sober.' There is much that could be discussed about the causes of, and methods of overcoming, a porn addiction, but blaming the manufacturers of devices is ludicrous. My last look at porn was on an iPad - which I no longer have.

With statistics showing that 50% or more of men now look at porn regularly, porn addiction is a pretty big deal. And no - it's not just a religious sort of thing. It's a ruining marriage, losing job, lost productivity, wasted time and money and quality of life sort of thing.

Re:As a recovering porn addict, I find this stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks to both of you for sharing this - I think it's an important point of view not often heard. A porn addiction can cause as much trouble as addiction to alcohol or controlled substances, and it is even more ubiquitous - you can always find it for free, and without ever being seen in public.

But this guy's case is without merit. It's like suing a grocery store for selling liquor to an alcoholic. I'm sorry, but personal responsibility here is the answer.

Re:False Flag

[Reverand Dave]

Usually one follows the other.

Re:False Flag

[Anonymous Coward]

Personal responsibility is an invented concept driven by societal needs. Fundamental evolution doesn't work well with the concept. In fact shuffling responsibility onto others and suckering them into dealing with it is a fantastic survival strategy we can see throughout the animal kingdom.

Re:False Flag

[Reverand Dave]

This is the exact opposite. Humans are selfish and self-serving like no other species can be. This is a direct result of natural selection. Your ancestors weren't the ones holding the door so people could get through, they were the ones trampling old women and children to get theirs first. More recently however, helplessness is a trait that is bred and perpetuated by a society that is ok with just accepting things as is without explanation.

"How did the universe get here? I dunno, God did it." What is more lazy and helpless than that? It's pretty thematic through out the whole ID debate. Acceptance in spite of investigation and evidence to the contrary. That is the epitome of a lazy and entitled attitude IMHO.

That being said, fuck yeah, bring on the tigers.

Re:False Flag

[GameboyRMH]

Mod parent up, was just gonna say this.

Evolution doesn't give a damn how much of an irresponsible moron you are, only how much you reproduce. And irresponsible morons are especially good at that.

Re:False Flag

[amRadioHed]

Humans are selfish and self-serving like no other species can be.

Sure... if by "like no other species can be" you mean "exactly like every other species is".

Re:False Flag

[Golddess]

Hey now, I'll have you know I'm perfectly capable of being insane without needing a religious group backing me up, thank you very much. :P

Re:False Flag

[Anonymous Coward]

Reason and faith are only incompatible when they intersect to the detriment of the former. There's plenty of stuff that could logically exist that we have no evidence for, and possibly never will. You can select an outcome in those cases and they would have to be based on faith.

And as for everything else, most people without recourse to proper equipment or resources have to take many of the more obscure scientific theories on faith. Some people do not, and that is how you end up with conspiracy theories becoming prevalent in the face of scientific knowledge. Conspiracy theorists are fine with science itself, they just have no faith in the results that have been presented to them by certain authorities. That is an important difference.

Faith is not important for science, but it is important for the acceptance of the results of science, when those results are not obvious and easily repeatable by the layperson. Scientific advancement benefits as much from credulity, as you would put it, as religion does.