-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Apple removes app used in Hong Kong protests after pressure from China
- Thread starter Taffy Lewis
- Start date
As if google hasn't been in the news for years for bowing to Chinese demands?
This is capitalism.
Just because it's public doesn't mean it's visible. Nutrition info is also public, you still have to tell people if it's a really bad idea to eat it.
Or another example is local elections. They are public, but unless the local media runs a story on why a candidate sucks you really don't have much to say about them because you don't know them.
Many who buy Apple products are very very passionate supporters and buy everything Apple the day it comes out. I have generally bought an Ipad every 4 years but outside of that I'm not an Apple user at all. There will be more and more straws on the camel's back because China censorship will only get worse and more overreaching. I don't think constant appeasement is sustainable.
If your hope lies on Google to fight China, you got another thing coming.
The Chinese government uses its population as a tool to control global corporations.
Both as a huge customer base and as a cheap-labor manufacturing base.
They know that businesses are amoral and don't give a shit about anything but money. Businesses can outsource their production and/or export their products to China and use the excuse that it's China's fault for the human rights violations, not their own fault.
It's sickening, but nobody really cares because everything is made in China and everyone is using products made mostly in China.
Both as a huge customer base and as a cheap-labor manufacturing base.
They know that businesses are amoral and don't give a shit about anything but money. Businesses can outsource their production and/or export their products to China and use the excuse that it's China's fault for the human rights violations, not their own fault.
It's sickening, but nobody really cares because everything is made in China and everyone is using products made mostly in China.
Deleted member 37235
Guest
"Do not weep. Do not wax indignant. Understand." -Baruch Spinoza
Understand that China for Apple represents not just their biggest market but their biggest producers and suppliers.
Understand that at this point the relationship between Apple and the Chinese state is more important for the profitability of Apple than either a statistically insignificant boycott or their relationship with the US state (which will continue to insulate them from taxation and political pressures as a national champion).
Stop expecting a moral or even revolutionary ethos from corporations, y'all love to mock "corporations are people" but then also unconsciously endow these same corporations with human qualities like moral turpitude.
Corporations have only one imperative, to profit and accumulate capital.
Understand that China for Apple represents not just their biggest market but their biggest producers and suppliers.
Understand that at this point the relationship between Apple and the Chinese state is more important for the profitability of Apple than either a statistically insignificant boycott or their relationship with the US state (which will continue to insulate them from taxation and political pressures as a national champion).
Stop expecting a moral or even revolutionary ethos from corporations, y'all love to mock "corporations are people" but then also unconsciously endow these same corporations with human qualities like moral turpitude.
Corporations have only one imperative, to profit and accumulate capital.
You don't get to pick who's on Apple's board.
Only way to get Apple to change it's to make their actions unprofitable. The board won't care otherwise.
Do me a favor and google, "China Google controversy" and get back to me lol
Capitalism was never democratic to begin with. It cares not about concepts like that. It's like an eldritch horror with its own goals and desires, and we are merely allowed to exist in its shadow, for now, because we are so insignificant. Of no consequence whatsoever.
Gaming side-wise, there are a lot of people who have started or plan to start giving Apple $5 a month for their Apple Arcade service. I'm one of them and at the very least I plan to end my subscription today while I spend the rest of the month hunting for a different smartphone provider and I hope others are at least willing to do that much.
In this case thankfully the rationale of "what about the devs" holds little water when a significant amount of the games on the service will be available on other platforms so there's no need to stick to supporting Apple in specific and I hope there are devs who will follow suit to either remove their games and/or end any future partnership.
It's optimistic but hopefully a big hit to their most recent and promoted premier service will send a message.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-...acking-map-app-after-china-uproar-11570681464
Google has pulled a mobile game in which you play as a protestor following a request from Hong Kong police.
Google has pulled a mobile game in which you play as a protestor following a request from Hong Kong police.
I don't know if this is a compliment or sarcasm. So, I'll give you a thanks (?)
Good question. I don't know if the reason is known. Tencent invested $150 million in February but that is probably unrelated.
At least Samsung won't be manufacturing phones in China any more. Companies need to start moving away to be less dependent, but of course certain components and rare earth materials will be coming from China so every company will still at least be partially dependent on China. But when you only depend on China for some components instead of the entire manufacturing process, the Chinese government won't hold as much sway.
This is all moot for Apple who will bend over backwards to do whatever the Chinese government tells them because they sell allot of iPhones in China.
This is all moot for Apple who will bend over backwards to do whatever the Chinese government tells them because they sell allot of iPhones in China.
You don't pick anyone involved in corporate decisions, that doesn't mean you cannot pressure and make them personally uncomfortable for doing bad things.
Tim's memo to employees
Why?
If they have concerns that the app is being used to facilitate criminal behaviour then I can understand why Apple wouldn't want it on their store.
Edit: And even if there's a concern over how legitimate that information is, is it Apple's job to counter that/rule otherwise?
Last edited:
It's not that hard. I stopped buying and supporting Apple years ago.
Simulated footage of Apple's board after public backlash:
I'm sure they'd look different when someone is shoving a microphone in their face asking for comment.
---
Even if the protest app was being used for bad things (and of course the government sources would say it was) how the hell does that excuse banning Quartz?
The App is being used for people to stay safe/informed about what is going on and where. Or are you referring to protesting as 'criminal behavior'?
I'm not in their eco system at all, but I imagine it would be difficult for people deeply entrenched to get rid of their products. Music purchased, creatives being used to operating their products, having to repurchase software, etc.
Good luck to Apple on getting more sales now that this news is out in the open.
I agree. Thank goodness that I use Samsung/Android products.
I agree. Thank goodness that I use Samsung/Android products.
Last edited:
"However, over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimize individuals and property where no police are present. This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our App Store guidelines barring personal harm."
You can see that in the congressional hearings where Google, Facebook, and Apple's executives where they basically got off scott free.