When Apple spammed millions with U2’s latest album, it might have broken Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law
A Russian Duma deputy has asked the Attorney General to investigate Apple, the maker of the iPhone and iPad, for distributing “gay propaganda” to minors. Alexander Starovoitov, a member of the right-wing LDPR party, says Apple spammed youths with illegal content when it uploaded U2’s latest album, Songs of Innocence, to more than 500 million iTunes customers worldwide in September 2014.
The album cover features the band’s drummer, Larry Mullen, Jr., embracing his 18-year-old son, Elvis, while both are shirtless. The image was taken by photographer Glen Luchford, and the group says it is a visual metaphor for the album and its theme of "how holding on to your own innocence is a lot harder than holding on to someone else's."
Starovoitov says the U2 album art promotes sex between men, and the newspaper Izvestia, known for its pro-Kremlin reporting, quotes Evgeny Tonky, a lawyer, who says he’s ready to sue Apple for compensation for moral damages on behalf of his own son.
If Apple is convicted of distributing gay propaganda to youths, the company could be forced to cease operations in Russia for as many as 90 days, or pay a fine of up to 1 million rubles ($20,000).
Many other iPhone users, including minors, have experienced this problem, Starovoitov insists. He says future distributors will know they can get away with this, if the courts don’t recognize this as propaganda, and Russians might find themselves bumping into similar images all over the place, including near schools and at bus stops.
In September 2014, Apple “gifted” free copies of U2’s new album to iTunes users, triggering a strong backlash from millions of people who do not enjoy the band’s music. The album initially launched with different cover art. The cover featuring two shirtless men appeared later, when physical copies of the album went on sale.
In November 2014, following Tim Cook’s announcement that he is gay, a university in St. Petersburg removed a monument to Steve Jobs and Apple. The decision was widely viewed as a response to Cook’s coming-out.