Apple Sued for Allowing Tenn. Man to View Porn

A Tennessee man has requested that Apple add a "safe mode" to its Internet-connected products that will prevent users from easily accessing pornography.

According to Chris Sevier, who filed suit against Apple in a Tennessee district court, Cupertino supports "pornography online, explicit sexual content which has led to the proliferation of arousal addiction, sex trafficking, prostitution, and countless numbers of destroyed lives."

Sevier said Apple devices should be locked down to filter out pornographic content on Safari, though those over 18 should be able to acquire a password from Apple to unlock the adult material. If Apple agrees to this filter, Sevier said he will drop his lawsuit.

It would be surprising, however, if the judge takes Sevier's complaint seriously. The 50-page filing is rambling, grammatically incorrect, and generally unhinged.

Back in 2011, Sevier was "transferred to disability inactive status" by the Tennessee Bar Association, which prevents him from practicing law. "He may return to the practice of law after proving to the court by clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed and he is fit to resume the practice of law," the TBA said at the time, but it's unclear if Sevier has done so. He filed the complaint himself and it does not name an outside law firm; it lists his current position as an "electronic artist" with the music group Ghost Wars.

That complaint, meanwhile, manages to mention 9/11, cocaine, the virtues of life in the 1950s, Abu Ghraib, and what he feels are the detrimental effects of allowing gays to serve in the military. Sevier is an Army combat veteran, according to the filing.

As a result, it would be quite laughable if it wasn't a bit sad. Sevier basically claims that buying a MacBook ruined his life because Apple's Safari browser didn't block access to porn - and it all got started when he "accidentally" typed in f**kbook.com rather than Facebook.com.

"Before purchasing a MacBook the plaintiff had never seen pornographic images," or visited a strip club or sex club, the filing claims. Pornographic websites, however, led to the demise of his marriage, according to Sevier.

"Apple has a duty to society to not interfere with marital contracts, to decrease the number of children being orphaned or being raised in single parent homes and from decreasing the chances of American women traveling abroad from being sex trafficked," Sevier says.

Not surprisingly, the filing contradicts itself quite a few times. Sevier claims that pornography should be legal and then rails against it for several pages, at one point claiming that "the human heart is what's at stake" and that "Apple is hijacking great sex by failing to sell its products in safe mode." He also argues that Apple should block Backpage.com from everyone, even those with the "porn password."

Apple gadgets are, of course, not the only ones that can access the Internet. Sevier doesn't really address this except to say that "pro-family device makers, such as Apple, [should] do the right thing."

Meanwhile, Apple has a well-known policy against pornographic material for apps in its app stores. Back in 2010, Steve Jobs famously said that Apple offers "freedom from porn," and Cupertino has routinely removed apps that promote adult content; see the slideshow above.

UPDATE: In subsequent filings, Judge Todd J. Campbell indicated that he might dismiss the case because of Sevier's failure to pay the civil filing fee. Sevier requested that the court waive his filing fee because he cannot afford it, but Judge Campbell pointed to the $600 Sevier claims to have in a checking account, which would more than cover the fee, the judge said. If Sevier doesn't pay up or provide the required information to prove that he is indigent, Judge Campbell said the lawsuit could be dismissed.