In Russia, Apple iTunes Store Serves Up Porn

MOSCOW — Users attempting to search for mainstream movies to watch at the iTunes store in Russia have been getting some triple-X results.

Apple, which debuted iTunes in Russia on Tuesday along with 55 other countries, apparently had been rushing to roll out the service with programmers employing "xxx.xxx" placeholders for some fields, according to the BBC.

So when some users clicked movies without images, they were greeted by explicit shots from XXX.xxx.

"If someone actually clicks on such a movie and buys it, they won't get a porn movie — they will get what was supposed to be there, a real film, but the image was just wrong," Top F Secure IT researcher Mikko Hypponen told the BBC. "It's like when you go to a real-world video rentals store and all the DVDs are there but the covers for some of them are wrong.

"It's accidental — as I understand the situation, as they were adding content, they were a bit rushed and didn't have images for every single movie cover," Hypponen said. "So for those images that they didn't have yet, they had to enter a web address — a URL — of where the image was supposed to come from, but there was no URL to put in yet — so they just put xxx.xxx thinking that they will put in a real address later."

Graham Cluley from IT security firm Sophos told the BBC it was a serious blunder by Apple.

"It's sloppy of Apple not to have tested their software thoroughly and properly before rolling it out to the masses, but it could have been much worse," he said. "If the web pages had contained malicious code, for instance, then it might have been possible for unsuspecting users to click on dangerous links or have had their computers infected by malware."

Stuart Lawley, CEO of .XXX operator ICM Registry, said Apple's snafu involved a substantial number of users because the hit count was so high.

"Traffic to XXX.xxx skyrocketed as a result," Lawley told XBIZ.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Taylor Nicole Launches New Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Creator Taylor Nicole has launched her new official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Adult Networking Platform SpicyGigs.com Launches

SpicyGigs, a new adult industry networking platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Cream Pie Challenge' Fundraiser

Pineapple Support is hosting its Cream Pie Challenge through August to raise funds for mental health services for industry performers.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Report: VPN Downloads Soar in UK Following Age Verification Deadline

Virtual private network apps, which can be used to circumvent geo-specific age verification requirements, are topping Apple App Store downloads in the U.K. in the wake of new Online Safety Act rules, the BBC is reporting.

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Show More