Here's a game we can all play at home. All you need is a an internet connection, the iTunes software and a little imagination (a puerile one, at that). Go to the search tool in the top right hand corner and start typing in swear words, any that come into your head. Try "shit" and see what comes up. I was immediately drawn to the touching Shit On You by D12 featuring Eminem. But if you look closely you'll see that the moral guardians at iTunes have decided that the word "shit" should be written as "sh*t" so as not to offend any delicate minds that might read it and think ... well ... what exactly? That rappers use naughty words and may or may not indulge in aspects of scatology? I was mortified to find that Fuck Her Gently by Tenacious D now reads F**k Her Gently, or that Radio 2 favourites Scissor Sisters now have a song called T**s On The Radio.

So, what's this mild form of censorship all about? The strangest thing about it is that they're not actually stopping you from listening to the songs, but merely from having your mind scarred by seeing the words in print. So, F**k The Pain Away by Peaches is OK to listen to but not to read. Bizarrely, it seems to only relate to song names and album titles but not band names, so the poetic-sounding Anal Cunt and Fucked Up are fine. There's also some discrepancy when it comes to matters of sexuality (sorry, s*xuality), as shown by the lack of censorship on Katy Perry's Ur So Gay but the inclusion of the dreaded asterisks on Lesbians On Ecstasy's self-titled album L******s On Ecstacy. Katy Perry - as controversial as she so clearly is - perhaps may feel slightly aggrieved that her new single has fallen foul of this new regime. That's right, Hot'n'Cold is now H*t'n'Cold, a pre-emptive strike, perhaps? Also, for those playing along at home, "penis" and "balls" are completely outlawed but "nipple" is OK. Poor CSS come out particularly badly; their debut album is barely legible.

Apple have since announced that the sporadic nature of the censorship was down to a glitch in the new system they're using, a system used to filter out offensive words. So, they're still intent on shielding users from words such as "fuck" but hopefully "hot" and "bum" will now be OK. It's censorship, but with slightly more common sense.

Censorship is always a contentious issue, especially as it basically boils down to who gets to decide what others should and shouldn't see. Are iTunes right to start censoring words in the hope of protecting any young children that may venture onto a computer in search of the new Girls Aloud single? Who, by the way, themselves fall foul with their potty-mouthed Long H*t Summer single. Or is it a case of closing the stable door after the foul-mouthed horse has bolted? Plus, as with all censorship, it only draws attention to the fact that a swear word is being used, the written equivalent of the aural "bleep" that blights most rap records. If you ask me, the iTunes prudes are just taking the p**s.