iPhone apps fit into just about every category there is, include media and games apps to keep us entertained, social apps that let us stay connected, and news apps that keep us informed about what’s going on in the world.

Josh Begley, developer of an app called Drone+, probably thought that his creation would fit neatly into the latter category. However, it seems that Apple doesn’t want to agree with him, rejecting Begley and his application from the App Store not once, not twice, but thrice.

The reason for his rejection? Well, that depends on who you believe. Drone+, which catalogues incidences of American UAV attacks around the world, was first banned for “not being useful”, according to the website Wired.com. Later, after Begey applied to have Drone+ in the app store a second time, Apple declined it on some obscure point that had to do with his logo. And there would be no third time lucky for Begley either, with Apple finally stating that they found the app “objectionable and crude.”

Naturally, others will suspect a more sinister reason for Apple’s rejection of Drone+. After all, American UAV attacks are quite a controversial issue at the moment, and what better way to raise more awareness about them than to have your smartphone bleeping at you every five minutes to let you know someone else has just been blown to pieces?

There’s nothing grisly or shady about the app – it collects all of its data from public sources, it doesn’t count ‘deaths’ or show grisly images of the aftermath of bombed out locations. Yet for some reason, Apple decides that they don’t particularly like it, and that’s the end of it as far as they’re concerned.

This won’t be a problem for most people to be sure (and let’s face it, not everyone wants to be reminded of death and destruction raining down from the skies) but the fact that Apple is not letting anyone choose if they want to access this service is a shame. Who are they to tell us what we can and cannot keep informed about?