Apple moves to block DUI checkpoint apps

Apple has revised its App Store Review Guidelines to prevent the approval of any new DUI checkpoint apps. According to Autoblog, Section 22.8 of the new Guidelines states, “Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected.” The update follows growing interest from the U.S. government in such apps, including a letter sent to Apple asking the company to remove any apps that inform users of DUI checkpoints. As noted in the report, while the developers of such apps might be able to remove DUI-specific functionality, most apps that identify law enforcement areas and speed traps are crowd-sourced, and it may therefore be quite difficult to stop users from submitting checkpoints themselves without the developers’ knowledge.