Canadians Complained to the CRTC Over U2’s Automatic Free Album Download

When Apple and U2 teamed up to distribute the band’s newest album Songs of Innocence for free, backlash ensued when it was automatically downloaded to devices that had iCloud enabled for music.

Apple ended up creating an easy one-click removal tool, while in a later interview band leader Bono apologized to those who were upset over the fiasco, saying “we got carried away with ourselves.”

According to the CRTC, some Canadians complained to the regulator over U2’s forced album download, reports the Huffington Post:

To those who contacted the telecom regulator about U2’s new album, “Songs of Innocence,” appearing on their iPhone without their knowledge or consent, the CRTC says, well, that’s between you and iTunes. Current anti-spam laws don’t apply to what iTunes and Ireland’s most famous rock band did there.

Some complaints suspected the automatic album download had circumvented new anti-spam legislation, but according to CRTC spokesperson Patricia Valladao, she “couldn’t say” if Apple’s actions were a violation, since new rules don’t kick in until early 2015.

How many people contacted the CRTC? The telecom regulator revealed there were “two contacts” from consumers over the U2 album, but they weren’t categorized as official complaints. The spokesperson said despite hearing numerous complaints from consumers on a variety of topics, not all are pursued, citing examples of “We get calls when the weather is bad.”

Apple announced earlier this month Songs of Innocence has been downloaded over 26 million times–albeit we don’t know how many from those were by choice.