APPLE CORE News feature
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14 | MACFORMAT | DECEMBER 2019 macformat.com @macformatFor our latest
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A
Apple’s decision to withdraw an app
from its Hong Kong App Store in
October should, on the face of it, have
been uncontroversial – it regularly
reviews and removes apps from its App Stores
worldwide, often because apps have violated its App
Store policies in some way. The removal of HKmap.
live was different – this was an app that was being
used by human rights protestors in Hong Kong to
help them avoid law enforcement. Only Apple said
the app was being used to target police officers
instead. In a statement Apple argued:
“We created the App Store to be a safe and
trusted place to discover apps. We have learned
that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways
that endanger law enforcement and residents in
Hong Kong. Many concerned customers in Hong
Kong have contacted us about this app and we
immediately began investigating it. The app displays
police locations and we have verified with the Hong
Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau
(CTCB) that the app has been used to target and
ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals
have used it to victimise residents in areas where
they know there is no law enforcement. This appFrom tariff battles to app takedowns, Apple continues
to enjoy an uneasy relationship with China. Why?
A little trouble
in big China
violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have
removed it from the App Store.”
Sound fair enough? The problem is the takedown
was immediately condemned by both the developer
and human rights activists in Hong Kong. HKmap.
live said on Twitter: “We disagree @Apple and
@hkpolice’s claim that HKMap App endanger [sic]
law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong.”
Charles Mok, who sits on Hong Kong’s
legislative council, wrote to Tim Cook, expressing
his disappointment while also disputing the CTCB’s
claims, stating: “The user-generated information
shared using HKmap.live in fact helps citizens
avoid areas where pedestrians not involved in any
criminal activities might be subjected to police
brutality, which many human rights organisations
such as Amnesty International have observed.”
After recently reporting from Hong Kong,
developer and activist Maciej Cegłowski noted on
the potential element of a violated law that... “Neither
he [Tim Cook] or anyone else at Apple has specified
what this law is. At a press conference today, Hong
Kong authorities didn’t know either, and deferred
all questions on the matter to Apple.” Cegłowski
also pointed out that Google’s satnav app, Waze,