Steve Jobs confirms remote killing of iPhone applications is possible

There's been a lot of talk online over the weekend about the possibility that Apple could remotely delete applications from users' iPhones, and today that has been confirmed in a Wall Street Journal interview with Steve Jobs.

Mr Jobs confirmed such a capability exists, but argued that Apple needs it in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program -- one that stole users' personal data, for example -- to be distributed to iPhones through the App Store. "Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull," he says.

So long as it wasn't used to remove legitimate (and particularly paid-for) applications that posed no threat to the security of the iPhone or the cellular network, there probably isn't a real problem -- at least, not to the everyday user. There'll always be those in the industry who cry foul over these issues.

It would be interesting to see whether applications such as NetShare would be removed from the iPhones of those who'd already purchased them. NetShare specifically breaks the terms of use set out by AT&T, O2, and some other network operators.

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