Apple is facing criticism for rejecting the iOS version of a mapping app that's been helping pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong avoid police crackdowns.
The app, HKmap Live, functions as a Waze-like crowdsourcing tool that Hong Kong residents can use to tell each other about nearby police activity, traffic jams, and which city subway stations remain open.
Although you can find the app on the Google Play Store, Apple has rejected the mapping tool from appearing over the iOS App Store. The reasoning? "Your app contains content —or facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity— that is not legal ... Specifically, the app allowed users to evade law enforcement," the HKmap Live's developers said in a tweet on Monday.
So far, Apple has remained mum on the whole issue. But the developers of HKmap Live said they've been trying to reason with Cupertino.
"So mad abt (about) how they handled this. Every back and forth took at least a day even if I stayed up to reply in US," the HKmap Live said in follow-up tweet. "Coming up with every reason to reject our App, which is simply a webapp."
To deny the people of Hong Kong one of the few tools that defends them against police aggression is such a craven act that I can't even put it into words. Is Apple going to side with "law enforcement" in every dictatorship on the planet? Is coddling China worth that much to them?
— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 2, 2019
Apple rejects a map that only displays Hong Kong locations as illegal? Maybe this really is Apple sucking up to China rather than f bureaucratic screw-up? @HKmaplive only reports locations: road closures, tear gas, police presence. IT REPORTS LOCATIONS AND DOES NOTHING ELSE. https://t.co/xwt4OJ1jaV — zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) October 2, 2019
The app denial is raising speculation that Apple is complying to pressure from the Chinese government, which is notorious for using online censorship and propaganda to squash and discredit dissent. Back in 2017, Apple removed a number of major VPN products from the iOS app store in China over how they can circumvent the country's online censorship systems.
Recently, the company also refrained from directly calling out China's suspected involvement in an iPhone hacking campaign that sought to spy on Uighur Muslims in the country. China currently ranks as Apple's third largest market behind Europe and the Americas.
In the meantime, HKmap Live is telling iPhone owners they can use the service by visiting its dedicated website over the Safari browser.