Multinational tech company Apple pull out its civil war games that contain the Confederate flag in the Apple Store, following the shooting in a South Carolina church last week where nine people were killed.
The tech giant has released a statement saying, "We have removed apps from the App Store that use the Confederate flag in offensive or mean-spirited ways, which is in violation of our guidelines. We are not removing apps that display the Confederate flag for educational or historical uses."
Apple has removed apps and games that include imagery of the flag. The Confederate flag and other symbols have become the subject of discussions after the killing incident as many African-Americans view the flag as a sign of slavery which their ancestors suffered from.
Other large companies is also taking the same action. Some developers are also pulling out their apps containing the controversial symbol. Major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Sears banned selling affected products.
Johnna Hoff, eBay spokeswoman released a statement explaining that they understand the necessity of taking the action. The e-commerce company believes that the flag has become a modern symbol of disunity and racism which causes trouble in the community.
"This decision is consistent with our long-standing policy that prohibits items that promote or glorify hatred, violence and racial intolerance," Hoff said.
Even tech company Google joined the movement of removing the said flag. Google Shopping, its online retail network will take necessary actions to address the pressing issue. Product advertisements carrying the symbol will also be removed from the search engine results.
The company has assured that the Google Play app store will not be exempted by the scrutiny. However, apps that endorse the Confederate flag will be the only ones to eliminate.
Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina released an order to pull down the battle flag at the capitol grounds so that the killing incident will be avoided.
