DriversEd defends fake license app as gag title
updated 11:30 am EST, Wed December 14, 2011
Claims no word from Apple until after removal
DriversEd.com -- the developer behind a fake license app pulled from the App Store -- is defending the title as useless for fooling authorities, a press release indicates. The company insists that the app was always meant purely for fun, and that the licenses produced are intentionally different from their real-world counterparts. These include "obvious layout differences, font and color discrepancies, and the words 'MOCK by DriversEd.com' in proximity to the word 'license'," according to the release. The resolution of generated images is also just 72dpi, and security features common to government IDs are missing.
"We hope that in light of these facts Apple will take one more look at the DriversEd.com ‘Driver License’ app," writes the website's founder, Gary Tsifrin. DriversEd has, however, separately told MacRumors that it didn't receive word from Apple until several hours after the app was pulled. Even then the company only cited Section 22.1 of the App Store review guidelines, informing developers that software "must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users."
The app was removed after pressure from Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. The politician called it a "threat to public safety and national security," potentially useful for forging new identities or buying alcohol and tobacco while underage. Apple is said to have been warned about the app in April by a group called the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License.
