WikiLeaks app disappears from Apple App Store

App proceeds reportedly went to Assange's organization

• By Dan Rowinski
• Dec 21, 2010

An unofficial WikiLeaks application has been removed from Apple’s App Store.

The app, created by developer Igor Barinov and not directly associated with WikiLeaks, appeared last in the Apple App Store on Dec. 18. It was priced at $1.99 of which $1 was reportedly supposed to go to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s organization. WikiLeaks can be read for free by visiting the website.

Apple, in an e-mail message to Barinov, gave no reason for pulling the application, saying only that its status had been “removed from sale” and directing him to contact the iTunes Store Team with inquiries, as is Apple’s policy in such cases, CNN reported.

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Apple is the next in a string of companies such as Amazon, PayPal, MasterCard and Visa that have pulled funding routes for WikiLeaks.

A quick mobile search of the Android App Market shows seven WikiLeaks-related applications, including phone themes. One application, created by developers Andronom, is an ad-free version of its easy reader application for WikiLeaks and costs $1.50.

Federal employees seeking to visit the WikiLeaks site by using an iPhone application are now out of luck, but still should be able to access the site through the phone’s mobile browser.

Click here to visit Google’s cache of the App Store to see the user-interface of Barimov’s application.