San Francisco, CA – Apple Inc. has removed an app from its French App Store that let users consult a database of celebrities to determine if they are Jewish or not. The action followed complaints from a French anti-racism group, which threatened to sue the iPhone maker.
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SOS Racisme argued that the “Jew or Not a Jew” app violated France’s laws banning the compilation of people’s personal details without consent.
Under French penal code, stocking personal details including race, sexuality, political leanings or religious affiliation is punishable by five-year prison sentences and fines of up to 300,000 euros ($411,870).
Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said the app was removed from the French App Store, since it violated local law. It is still available outside France, and currently sells for $1.99 through Apple’s U.S. App Store.