Apple Pulls the Plug on ‘Jew or Not Jew’ App

Apple has pulled the plug on the Jew or Not Jew app in France after receiving criticism from various religious and activist groups in the country.

The app identifies Jewish celebrities and politicians in France. It is still available in other countries.

In France, compiling someone's personal information such as race, sexuality and religion without their consent can mean five years in prison and thousands of euros in fines, the Associated Press reported.

These laws were developed and implemented after the Holocaust, the AP reported.

The app violates local law and is no longer available in the app store in France, Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr said, PC Magazine reported.

The app was created by Johann Levy, a Franco-British developer, PC Magazine reported. Levy himself is Jewish.

He defended the app in an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien.

I'm not a spokesman for all Jews, but as a Jew myself I know that in our community we often as ask whether a such-and-such celebrity is Jewish or not, Levy said, PC Magazine reported. For me, there's nothing pejorative about saying that someone is Jewish or not. On the contrary it's about being proud.

But local activists such as Richard Prasquier, the president of the Representative Council of the Jewish Institutions of France, are not convinced.

It is unacceptable and stigmatizes the Jewish people, he said, PC Magazine reported.