Guest post by David Middleton
ENERGY NEWSGeologist Accuses Apple of Political Bias in Removing App Countering Climate Alarmism
Kevin Mooney / @KevinMooneyDC / March 11, 2019Political figures who support the so-called Green New Deal and other proposals to restrict carbon dioxide emissions are up against some “inconvenient facts” that Americans may access immediately through a smartphone application, a geologist and author says.
But there’s one big problem.
The app, called Inconvenient Facts, is available only to Android users through the Google Play Store. Since March 4, users of Apple’s iPhone no longer can access the app through the tech giant’s App Store.
Why is that?
Gregory Wrightstone, a geologist with more than three decades of experience, told The Daily Signal in an interview that he has his own opinion about what may have transpired inside Apple.
Wrightstone is the author of the book “Inconvenient Facts: The Science That Al Gore Doesn’t Want You to Know,” which served as the basis for the information available from the app.
He notes that former Vice President Al Gore, a leading proponent of the view that mankind’s activities propel dangerous climate change, is a board member of Apple.
“It’s very rare for an app to be approved and then taken down unless there is offensive material or some other extreme issue,” Wrightstone said of Apple’s action in a phone interview with The Daily Signal, adding:“We thought at first it may have been our fault. But I did a search on climate change and global warming in the Apple App Store and pulled up a whole bevy of pro-man-made global warming apps that are really bad. They are not formatted, they have incorrect spellings and no links.
But I suppose they have the political narrative right. Compared to these, our app is the gold standard. I made sure we had charts and links and references to the source for our data. This is all right in the palm of your hand.”A total of 60 facts in Wrightstone’s book are available through the Inconvenient Facts app to Android users. Complete with data, charts, and videos, they challenge the premise of alarmist theories about climate change that link man-made emissions to dangerous levels of global warming.
Gore’s ongoing campaign to convince the public that rising levels of carbon dioxide emissions could trigger catastrophic global warming was the subject of the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and the 2017 follow-up, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.”
Before reversing itself March 4, Apple initially approved the Inconvenient Facts app for sale Feb. 3. Since that time, the app has been downloaded 13,000 times, according to figures Wrightstone provided.
[…]
The study of geology provides important insights into the study of climate change because it considers short-term trends within the larger context of Earth’s history, Wrightstone told The Daily Signal.
“Geologists are probably the most skeptical of all the sciences concerning a man-made link to temperature changes,” the geologist said, adding of carbon dioxide:“Just to be clear, I don’t, and my colleagues don’t, dispute that CO2 is increasing, and I agree that it has to have some slight warming effect on the atmosphere. But I argue that it’s modest and overwhelmed by the same natural forces that have been driving temperatures since the dawn of time…
Looking out across Earth’s history, CO2 levels are extremely low. I always argue we are actually CO2 impoverished.”
[…]
Gregory Wrightstone is a past president of the AAPG Eastern Section, who has recently been quite busy on a speaking engagement tour. His is currently affiliated with the Heartland Institute and has apparently become a pain in the @$$ to the Climatariat. A few months ago, the AAPG Explorer featured an interview with Greg about his best selling book, Inconvenient Facts: The science that Al Gore doesn’t want you to know. The interview drew a mixed bag of comments from supportive to outright hostile. My informal conclusion was that the vast majority of the hostile comments came from 1) European AAPG members, 2) academic AAPG members and 3) millennial and younger AAPG members. The AAPG is supposedly in the process of reviewing the society’s position statement on climate change.
Did Apple censor Greg’s app for political reasons? I can’t imagine any other reason.
Was Al Gore a part of this? I tend to think this sort of thing is below his pay grade. It was probably some snot-nosed low-level millennial techie.
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I don’t buy Apple. But if I were considering an Apple product, I’d want to know how best to complain to Apple about the unavailability of this app.
Yes. How does one lodge a complaint with Apple? I get the run around, never coming to a place to lodge a complaint.
Ditto on avoiding Apple, in part because you can’t turn them off and they are so easy to hack.
That said, a BlackBerry is able to run anything from Google and at least you can turn the damn thing off. Plus I like keyboards – you can type without looking.
I will look for the app in the G-Store. I did not know it was available. Sometimes having handy links is useful.
And further, I have never met a geologist who was convinced that we face a man-made climate catastrophe. They all know far too much about the Earth to accept such a preposterous claim. I know a hydrogeologist who is not so well-read and he is wavering. The difference between him and many regular folks is he is willing to listen and learn. Funny how that advances understanding.
The geologists have to win this one: the historic role of CO2 in the development of life on Earth and its present very low concentration should be a cause of concern for everyone. If there is one universally beneficial result of human activities on the ecosystem, it is that liberating CO2 from trapped sources is gradually restoring the normal rate of growth of all biomass, which has been stunted for a few million years .
Of course you can turn off an iPhone: press and hold the power button and then swipe to the right to confirm when asked.
And then, if you don’t trust that it is actually off, put it under your tinfoil hat/Faraday cage. ;^)
I will never own a product manufactured by Apple. I have no need for anything they produce. I have had a negative impression of that company for 35 years.
I have always perceived Apple’s ads as selling a sort of elitism in computing that has little value in the trenches of the workplace. Only in Hollywood and the arts do these machines find a comfortable niche.
I’m impressed how stupid supposedly smart people can be in the hi-tech business. Here we have people on the one hand looking to get away from Apple because of this politically motivated gaff, and on the other providing a huge advertisement for the App. I hadn’t heard of it before and now Ive downloaded it and see many more doing the same.
The Streisand affect.
I don’t support Apple or its products due to the fact that I had to negotiate an agreement with them and their lawyers were haughty, unresponsive to edits, and bullies.
What possible reason could they give for this? Can they be forced to give one?
When LOSERS are LOSING the argument … this is what they do … shut up the opposition.
“Geologists are probably the most skeptical of all the sciences concerning a man-made link to temperature changes,”
Electrical Engineers are the easiest to turn against the ‘consensus’ once they understand how LINEAR feedback amplifier analysis was misapplied and how crucial this misapplication is to the cause of the IPCC/UNFCCC.
EE’s might also be aware of the fact that when you filter out higher frequency signal components, you attenuate the amplitude. This is why Mike’s Nature Trick is 100% fraudulent.
EE’s also understand the Nyquist Theorem, equivalent systems, top down modeling and reverse engineering unknown systems by the behavior at their ports.
The ‘ports’ of the atmosphere are the top boundary with space and the lower boundary with the surface. Based on the measured behavior of the atmosphere at its ports, the ECS must be about 0.3C per W/m^2 and well below the IPCC’s lower limit of about 0.4C per W/m^2.
Nyquist… The arch enemy of high resolution… 😉
I thought it was “The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy-head, fever, so you can rest medicine.”
Nyquil can’t cure Nyquist… Although it is still important to observe proper sampling requirements with Nyquil as it is with Nyquist. Nyquist can’t destroy your liver… at least nor directly… 😉
Nyquist (Gustav) is also a recent addition to the SJ Sharks. I wonder if he’s related to Harry …
Inconvenient Facts is #2 “Trending” on Android.
Why use Rotten Apples? ;>)
Apparently bad to the Core
Bad to the Gore?
By Jove! You’ve got it!
🎶🎹The lore of Gore smells rotten to the core… 🎵
(with apologies to Rodgers & Hammerstein)
Sometimes suppressing the truth is counter-productive. Sometimes.
=======================
The Streisand Effect in action.
As a geologist with 40 years of experience, I agree with the statement that the CO2 impact is likely modest compared to natural variations. I still remember 50 years ago my paleontology professor showing us recent palm fossils from upper Canada after the continents were in present day positions and noting the extreme change in climate necessary to support this palm. At the time we were discussing global cooling which was imminent according to the media.
That’s it, I’m switching to Android and giving Apple the Brush Off
Hopefully Android can take a large Byte out of Apple’s customer base.
Anyone wanna but an IPhone-8
ehhh… Since Android uses an OS developed by Google, I wouldn’t be too sure that they won’t follow suit soon enough. I’ve subscribed to their Alerts for “Climate Change” for a few years now. And if you need any evidence that they suppress skeptical view points give that a go for a week or so.
Bryan A
I have an iPhone 7 I have been thinking of changing for a new Android. Frankly, one is as bad as the other vis-a-vi spyware and bloatware etc., but I can get a cheapo Chinese Android for £200. My iPhone cost £700 two years ago and can’t do anything the Chinese android I had before it, which was amazing, but it didn’t like coffee.
I guess when a new App suddenly gets 13000 downloads, they check it out to see what the fuss is about. They didnt like what the fuss is about and quashed it. Man America isnt what it used to be. Trump is making a start, but can one man live long enough to right a shop that’s been headed to the scrapyard.
errr…that was “ship” not shop!
13,000 downloads for a free app on the AppStore is not that many in the big scheme of things.
A skeptical geologist? … I dont beleive it.
Thats crazy talk. You’re talkn crazy!
I’ll assume you’re a newcomer who hasn’t read any of David Middleton’s articles, then.
Welcome to the search for climate truth.
Sarcasm is best served with subtlety… 😉
Testing.
I couldn’t see it, try again.
Bryan A
Rotten to the Gore?
Is the Mac version of the app available from any other source now that it cannot be obtained from Apple’s App Store?
Only AppStore apps can be loaded onto an iOS device due to a digital cryptographic signature system. That system ensures that only approved apps can be place on iOS devices. This is a huge benefit for iOS users as it is a strong-safeguard against malicious apps. Android apps are far less secure, as the apps can come from just about anywhere if a scammer gets a user to install it on their smart phone or tablet.
To put a non-AppStore approved app on an iOS device, one has to “jail-break” the device. Not a good idea if you ever want to keep the device updated with new iOS releases or new apps from the AppStore. Google: “jail break an iOS device” to read more of the pitfalls and problems with doing so.
But as we see here, the AppStore’s monopoly on iOS devices can be abused by a corporate bully to invoke view-point censorship.
Apple controls the entire i-whatever ecosystem so they can do things like this. Either it was rogue or they underestimated the response when their ‘benevolent’ control infringes on the Bill Of Rights. Even more so in this case where infringing on First Amendment rights is for obvious political reasons supporting the wrong side of the truth.
The Bill of Rights only pertains to government censorship. This is not a 1st Amendment issue.
True, but since government and politics are inseparatable, isn’t censorship for political reasons essentially government censorship? Certainly, there are many in government who support and even enable this kind of censorship. If you encourage another to commit a crime for your benefit, aren’t you still culpable?
I apologize to everyone that Al Gore was my Congressman and Senator.
Don’t think you owe anyone an apology unless you voted for him. 🙂
Apple CEO Tim Cook is a political activist for the Climate Scam. So his actions to shut down skeptics AppStore aps are completely within his character of supporting the climate hustle for virtue signalling brownie points.
Cook also hired Lisa Jackson, Obama’s former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, to spearhead sustainability efforts for the iPhone-maker.
This is an WUWT thread from 2014:
“Mind blowing: Apple CEO tells ‘deniers’ to get out of Apple stock”
posted by: Anthony Watts / March 2, 2014
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/03/02/mind-blowing-apple-ceo-tells-deniers-to-get-out-of-apple-stock/
From the 2014 share-holder meeting Cook made very clear his and Apple’s Board of Directors desire to prioritize climate activism over profit.
“Here’s the bottom line: Apple is as obsessed with the theory of so-called climate change as its board member Al Gore is,” said Danhof. “The company’s CEO fervently wants investors who care more about return on investments than reducing CO2 emissions to no longer invest in Apple. Maybe they should take him up on that advice.”
http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/apple-tells-climate-change-deniers-to-take-flying-leap/
US corporate censorship out of Silicon Valley of “il-Liberal” view-points is still in its infancy here in the US (since the US government can’t due to Free Speech). China is already twisting Apple and Google to produce China-only internet browsers and iOS and Android products and blocking AppStore products that do not conform to official Chinese government policy. Apple corporate and Alphabet corporate following along in this totalitarian mindset should be expected.
We already see ample evidence that Twitter and Facebook are All-In on this corporate censorship of conservative viewpoints, so it is a natural extension now for Aple and Google to include jump-in and go after those that dismiss the Liberal’s climate religion.
As such, it is now just a matter of time before the Corporate Leftists come full-bore at climate skeptics and their websites. There is certainly a behind-the-scenes coordination of this effort on-going in Silicon Valley. I fully expect at some point in the near-future that Apple iOS and MacOS products will incorporate embedded filtering and blocking of climate skeptic websites and news like WUWT and Tony Heller’s website. The techniques include either it will slowing the device CPU-display processing down dramatically (so that it takes forever for those webpages to load or send data) or simply block the content altogether. Some of that code is already in Apple iOS where battery conditions levels can slow the product down dramatically making web pages extremely slow to load and sending data up-stream in webpages requests very slow. It would simply be a matter of scanning content to set software flags that then invokes that slow-down code.
The entire AO-C fiasco of the Green New Deal, a climate scam which is chock full of social engineering and re-distributive schemes, has fully exposed the Climate Change hustle for what it always was – Socialism. The Climate Trojan Horse has now been stripped bare for everyone to now see what’s inside the climate hustle.
So the Left will increasingly have to resort to simple totalitarian tactics.
Very well said, that man!
“some snot-nosed low-level millennial techie. ”
You forgot “rabid, brain dead, socialist robot”.
I disagree with David’s assessment here.
This action to remove a climate skeptic app from the AppStore certainly came with direction and approval from the highest levels of Apple’s senior corporate offices, e.g. Tim Cook.
Don’t you mean Tim Apple 🙂
AAPG ?
Again, an overly presumptive use of an acronym. Please, for us not in the specific know, spell it out in parentheses:
In other words, use this format:
AAPG (????)
If you use it a lot in an article, then just do it this way the first time for a basic reference.
Please!
Otherwise, it’s so damn annoying.
Thanks
American Assoviation of Petroleum Geologists.
I usually do spell it out the first time. However, AAPG should be just as routine as AGU.
For future reference, all from memory:
Bad guys:
AGU = American Geophysical Union
Good guys:
AAPG = American Association of Petroleum Geologists
SEG = Society of Exploration Geophysicists
SEPM = Society for Sedimentary Geology (formerly Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists)
SPE = Society of Petroleum Engineers
GCAGS = Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies
AAPL = American Association of Petroleum Landmen (and women)
IPAA = Independent Petroleum Association of America
SIPES = Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists.
HGS = Houston Geological Society
NOGS = New Orleans Geological Society
SPWLA = Society of Petrophysicists and and Well Log Analysts (a really fun bunch)
I forgot a few…
IAGC = International Association of Geophysical Contractors
API = American Petroleum Institute
OOSA = Offshore Oil Scouts Association
IOGP = International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
You left out the politically correct AGI = American Geosciences Institute
AAPG, SEG and a few other “good guys” are parts of AGI.
IPA = India Pale Ale (gotsta drink something in the field) 🙂
You are my HERO! I love hoppy IPA’s… 😉
Pro-Tip: SanTan’s HopShock IPA, $6.77 a 6-pack at WalMart grocery stores. As good or better as the $10-$12/6pack IPAs.
Bad guys==UCS Union of Concerned Scientists.
I left out all Marxist societies… 😉
Union of Concerned Socialists
Well, you got that one wrong. Socialists are never concerned with anything. Well, other than their own personal wealth. Or power over others. Or how they appear to others. Or with how sincerely those beneath them grovel. So good job! 😉
“Honesty—Avoiding the Misuse of Models” February, 2019 from
http://lafayettegeologicalsociety.org/wp/
As fun as this can be I don’t care. I want the other list from “collegegate”. I want the full list of politicians and government employees who have bought their children college admissions. I want to know how much Robert Mueller paid to get his mentally deficient children into Ivy League schools.
And which schools participated? Will they, too be indicted?
Yea, all the “media” can do is screech about two actresses and some college employees. Silence on who else is involved in this. Since this post is about AlGore:The Goreacle and Apple I wonder how many colleges he and his friend Tim Cook sit on the board of trustees of?
It’s the modern day equivalent of book burning. Sure, it’s just one “book” but how is that any different than any other denial of access to information? It’s all denial of access to data that those with the “matches” do not want you to have.
Costco is effectively owned and run by Billionaire Liberal Jim Sinegal. He has prohibited Costco’s in-store book sections from carrying many Conservative’s books.
Corprorate censorship? Yes.
Illegal? No.
I refuse to have a Costco membership.
Sam’s Club, Babe! They sell without discrimination.
Sam’s Club discriminates against small containers… 😎
(thinking…)
Yes and No, MilwaukeeBob.
A few differences with book burning. One is that it is a public purging of unclean materials. They are celebrating their moral superiority by taking the False Words and removing them, publically, so all will be cleansed and the masses will know that you are the ones who freed them from the dangerous confusion of False.
(or as an overt warning to all those who oppose that they are now powerful enough to act in public. Be afraid ye who speaks the False. Be afraid.)
(or – OMG! These nut jobs are burning books! We need to draw a line and stand against them!)
The practical process is also more physical. To have a book to burn it must have been published. The author must have existed. The publishing house must have existed and the bookshops must have existed. The books are being removed and destroyed, but only after they have come into existence.
So, that is book burning. What about App blocking?
Different and in many ways worse. Apple have, through their Cradle to Grave market focus, have placed themselves in both the role of the publisher and bookseller. The author exists, but now rather than having their books removed from public circulation and destroyed on the streets, the publishing house and bookseller have combined to claim the book was never even written. You are not being told or shown that the reading you have been engaging with is False and must be purged by the cleansing flames of carbon offset renewables, you are just not being told. This is not a subversive text you shouldn’t be reading and one that you should promptly hand in to your nearest GND Facilitator, this is something that was never available, not heard of it, maybe the app owner withdrew it, you are probably thinking of something else, you’re confused, by the way new iPhone next year.
Book Burning is reforming the masses to your way of thinking by removing the False.
App Blocking is making sure the masses never stray in the first place.
I think they should have to show that the facts aren’t real in the case of an educational product. To deny people facts is definitely тотаliтагуаи.
I suspect it violates this rule:
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#minimum-functionality
You could apply that rule to an App like Amazon’s iOS purchasing app that has millions of AppStore downloads. The Amazon purchasing app does nothing more than give you the exact same content “repackaged” for the app that is on the browser web pages of Amazon website.
The point is, if they want it to apply, they can claim it applies. If they want to not do so, they can do that too.
The Amazon app isn’t a particularly good example, because it does have some app-like behavior. I don’t use it myself, but I looked at the description and it allows you to take pictures of products so it can find them.
But I could see that there may be many lesser used apps violating the rules, but escaping Apple’s radar so far.
I believe Apple would take down any app violating the rules if they discover it, and it isn’t a political action on their part. The political action would be from some activist group reporting it, knowing that Apple would take it down.
It would seem that most reference app’s violate that condition. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) app is just a repackaged website.
Scratch off the candy coating from a liberal and you will find a fascist
Apple and google are cancer
Wasn’t (isn’t) Al also on the board of Google?
When he was VP, I seem to remember him pushing for military satellite imagery being made public.
“Google Maps”.
Thou shall have no other God before me.
Al Gore