Apple Removes RSS Feed Readers From Chinese App Store

[az431]

How does their action of removing these apps square with this human rights policy document? Did they give themselves a loophole to make it okay, or are they just blatantly ignoring their own publicly stated values?

There's nothing in that document (if you bother to read it) that says "We will violate the law if we don't agree with it." In fact it states:

We’re required to comply with local laws, and at times there are complex issues about which we may disagree with governments and other stakeholders on the right path forward. With dialogue, and a belief in the power of engagement, we try to find the solution that best serves our users—their privacy, their ability to express themselves, and their access to reliable information and helpful technology.

 

[Bandaman]

Incoming youngsters who don't believe companies should comply with local laws..

China’s laws are inhumane, first of all, so get that crap out of here. The “youngsters” of China are pushing for a democracy instead of communism and being held down by the giant CCP thumb of oppression and are losing more and more rights with each passing day.

Apple’s China pandering is also unsettling, such as banning an app that “youngsters” were using to organize protests because they didn’t want to upset the CCP. Apple should move everything to India.

 

[MauiPa]

How does their action of removing these apps square with this human rights policy document? Did they give themselves a loophole to make it okay, or are they just blatantly ignoring their own publicly stated values?

ummm, complying with the law? That is one of their stated goals. No humans were harmed in this compliance effort, you could argue that people have a right to information, regardless of the source, but that is a fight they need to wage and win, for now if you are operating in a country, you must comply with local laws

 

[MauiPa]

China’s laws are inhumane, first of all, so get that crap out of here. The “youngsters” of China are pushing for a democracy instead of communism and being held down by the giant CCP thumb of oppression and are losing more and more rights with each passing day.

Apple’s China pandering is also unsettling, such as banning an app that “youngsters” were using to organize protests because they didn’t want to upset the CCP. Apple should move everything to India.

He wasn't referring to the youngsters in China, it seems more of a reference to those in the forums who cannot understand that to do business in a country you must comply with he laws of the country

 

[MauiPa]

Apple cares about equality, human rights and freedom.... unless its China, where they have have too much money to ignore, so all their Morals go out the window.

I call BS. Complying with laws is not optional, period. Would you advocate that a company in the US would continue to do business with firms that are banned by the government or simply by Executive Order? I suppose that an Executive Order is not necessarily law or even legal, so there might be some wiggle room until the courts decided, but you get the meaning. Ours is not to choose the laws we obey, Ours is to obey, and if they are wrong - to change them

 

[cb3]

Booooooo

 

[rjp1]

Limiting installing apps to one app store is great for governments to control access to information. RSS readers, Tik Tok, etc.

Imagine this on your Mac or Windows computer? Your phone computer shouldn’t be treated any differently.

 

[Bandaman]

He wasn't referring to the youngsters in China, it seems more of a reference to those in the forums who cannot understand that to do business in a country you must comply with he laws of the country

I meant exactly what I said. This goes far deeper than simply following state laws.

 

[CarlJ]

Observation: lately more and more MR threads are tagged as political/ social. A disturbing trend. The more we preach inclusivity, the more we see opposite behaviour. On all levels. I surely hope we recognise that we are social beings and can find ways of living together on this planet.

i expect they’re getting tagged as political largely because it cuts down on the work load for the mods, who can get stretched a little thin.

And in any other country, discussions under a thread like, say, anything having to do with COVID-19 or masks, or climate change, or solar or wind power, wouldn’t have to get tagged as political. Forces that have an ax to grind and/or who think it advances their agenda to do so, are making it political. Forces that say, “no, you must believe me instead of science”.

 

[-DMN-]

Incoming youngsters who don't believe companies should comply with local laws..

I think your missing the whole point..

 

[Art Mark]

Apple cares about equality, human rights and freedom.... unless its China, where they have have too much money to ignore, so all their Morals go out the window.

I wish it was that simple. Many, many, many US companies are tied to China via the capitalist desire for money. What’s not particularly fair is to pull Apple out amongst the dozens (hundreds) of companies that support the authoritarian Chinese Govt. from Walmart to sourcing companies not to mention companies from, say Korea. Are we equally disgusted that Samsun also abides by the Chinese Govt’s requests? And what is Apples legal responsibility in a country? Unless all American based companies are asked to stop doing any business with China you can’t expect any one company to alter Chinese Govt, practice.

 

[yurc]

Observation: lately more and more MR threads are tagged as political/ social. A disturbing trend. The more we preach inclusivity, the more we see opposite behaviour. On all levels. I surely hope we recognise that we are social beings and can find ways of living together on this planet.

This is still acceptable, the masker article one is more absurd to being tagged as political news, sad.

 

[mzeb]

They have well and truly lost their way if that’s what they “are first and foremost”.

I think the opposite. In our country companies' primary motivation has always been to make money. Through the 70's,80's and 90's it actually became even a bit more like that. The concept of socially aware and socially responsible companies is a fairly recent thing. I think it is more Apple is finding its way but still has a long way to go. How long each of us is willing to wait for them to get there is up to us and there is a point where we must kick them to the curb until they do.

 

[Vjosullivan]

Apple cares about equality, human rights and freedom.... unless its China, where they have have too much money to ignore, so all their Morals go out the window.

Apple is just a piece of paper and a logo. Like all companies, it doesn't have emotions. Only people care about things.

 

[nt5672]

How does their action of removing these apps square with this human rights policy document? Did they give themselves a loophole to make it okay, or are they just blatantly ignoring their own publicly stated values?

Apple always uses a lot of window dressing. Apple FanBots lap it up. The real story is too scary for their safe places..

 

[kaycrystal626]

Oh, there goes China is evil comments coming!

 

[Bandaman]

Oh, there goes China is evil comments coming!

Yes the CCP is evil.

 

[ArPe]

Yes the CCP is evil.

100% and their money and influence travels wide, into universities, into hedge funds, media corporations and anarcho-communist protestor groups. Young people haven’t understood how the money, influence ops and the spyware apps are being used to create CCP allies in the West. If they can cause the HongKongification of a western democratic country then it’s going to be very hard to get freedoms back.

The protection of democracy from the CCP’s influence should be a unified liberal and conservative position. One group shouldn’t be the only one sounding the warning because under the CCP’s expanded shadow liberals and conservatives are both targets for oppression and worse.

 

[Jetson]

February 2011 Silicon Valley Luminaries Dinner

President Obama: "What would it take to make iPhones in the United States? Why can't that work come home?"

Steve Jobs: "Those jobs aren't coming back."

Related Article

 

[ginkobiloba]

Apple are typical corporate hypocrites: bang on about LGBT+ rights, human rights, devote a whole day to the issue of systemic racism faced by the black community and others, talk about respect for freedom of speech, and yet all that is irrelevant if that conflicts with making money because it 'respects local laws'.

China treats many of its ethnic minorities like cr**. It has bans on certain religious. It bans and blocks websites, news outlets, apps which speak out against the government.

So yes, as a business, if they want to operate globally, if they want to sell products in China they should comply with local laws.

But they should also stop pretending they have moral principles.

It's a conflict we all face. I'll be a lot happier if/when Apple move all manufacturing out of China and into countries that at least try to address basic human rights.

Actually, there is absolutely NO hypocrisy here whatsoever, since Apple, as an american company, is also fully complying with AMERICAN laws.
There is a difference between voicing your objections about laws or subjects you find injust, and not complying with a law you find injust. Apple is VOICING its opinion on various subjects, but is still always complying with the law, BOTH in the US AND ELSEWHERE.

You're making it sound as if it is not complying with US laws while complying with the rest of the world ( China in this case), but that is absoilutely not the case. Apple is complying with the laws of every place it is doing business in , including the US. Therefore there is no hypocrisy here.

Now, whether Apple should refuse to comply with US laws as well as foreign laws when it finds them injust, that is another subject, but let's not confuse the issues here.

To think that a company, even as big as Apple can unilaterally defy the laws of a foreign government is incredibly naive. That type of change happens through either internal political pressure or foreign political pressure, either openly or in the shadows.
Real life is not a Marvel comic book.

 

[Marbles1]

To think that a company, even as big as Apple can unilaterally defy the laws of a foreign government is incredibly naive. That type of change happens through either internal political pressure or foreign political pressure, either openly or in the shadows.
Real life is not a Marvel comic book.

I’m not suggesting they defy them.

Apple chooses to speak up about social issues in America and other countries, but chooses to trade in countries where there are far far worse issues.

It’s hypocrisy.

If they had any moral backbone they shouldn’t trade with China.

They are using the whole social issues thing to virtue signal and for commercial reasons. Let’s not pretend they care.

 

[ginkobiloba]

I’m not suggesting they defy them.

Apple chooses to speak up about social issues in America and other countries, but chooses to trade in countries where there are far far worse issues.

It’s hypocrisy.

If they had any moral backbone they shouldn’t trade with China.

They are using the whole social issues thing to virtue signal and for commercial reasons. Let’s not pretend they care.

Can they completely pull out from the world's biggest market while all their competitors won't ? I don't know. Would Apple's sharholders let Tim Cook do it ? I don't know. It seems very unlikely.

Now if you suggest that Apple gets together with all of its rivals and do it ,then that is something that could be managed, maybe..

But , again, to think that Apple could do it alone without losing serious ground to Google and Microsoft ( and Samsung, and Dell, etc..) is wishful thinking. And even if Tim Cook wanted to do it unlateraly, he would be ejected from his CEO's seat before he could blink.

 

[rgbrock1]

I can understand how in China Apple is forced by the government to remove apps, but how in the world in th US can the President think he can unilaterally remove apps and force them for sale? And especially for something as petty kids speaking out against him and his fascism making him look like the fool he is.

So you support using apps that "phone home" to the mothership in China?

 

[rgbrock1]

ummm, complying with the law? That is one of their stated goals. No humans were harmed in this compliance effort, you could argue that people have a right to information, regardless of the source, but that is a fight they need to wage and win, for now if you are operating in a country, you must comply with local laws

General Motors complied with German law in the 1930's and 1940's. (During the Nazi regime.) As such, they were not allowed to hire Jews, locally, as employees. But, hey, they complied. That's all that matters, right?

 

[rp2011]

So you support using apps that "phone home" to the mothership in China?

We all know this is a BS excuse. Why does is the cult so easy to con?