China authorities says App helps target Hong Kong police 

Apple has sided with China a day after facing criticism from the
country’s state media and removed an app that helped Hong Kong
protesters track where the police were. 

According to media reports^[1], Apple said it removed
HKmap.live from its App Store a few days after it approved it. The
reason: authorities in Hong Kong said the app was being used by
protestors to find police and attack them.

RELATED: HONG KONG RIOT POLICE
REPORTEDLY BUY ‘ROBOCOP-STYLE’ BODY ARMOUR FROM
CHINA ^[2]

China authorities says App helps target Hong Kong
police 

An editorial^[3]
in People’s Daily, the main newspaper of the communist party in
China, said the app developers^[4]
had “ill intentions” by providing the navigation service for
protestors, which the editorial called rioters, and argued Apple’s
approval of the app “obviously helps rioters.” The editorial went
on to claim Apple appears to be acting as a “accomplish” in the
protests. 

“The map app is just the tip of the iceberg. In the Apple Music
Store in Hong Kong, there was also a song advocating ‘Hong Kong
independence.’ Such a song was once removed from the music store
and has resurrected,” wrote the editorial. “As a company with
international influence, Apple has always enjoyed a high
reputation. A company has its own standards of conduct, but should
also have its social responsibilities. If Apple abandons its
responsibilities and let violent acts get worse, it puts more users
at risk.”

It went on to say that Apple is “mixing business with politics,
and even illegal acts. Apple^[5]
has to think of the consequences of its unwide and reckless
decision.” 

Apple defends the removal of the
app 

In a statement, a day after the editorial appeared, Apple told
the media it has verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and
Technology crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and
“ambush” police. Apple went on to say the app threatens
“public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize
residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement.
This app violates our guidelines and local laws.”

Apple is just the latest multinational company to toe the
line when it comes to China and the protests going on in Hong Kong.
The NBA was at the center of a firestorm earlier this week after an
executive with the Houston Rockets tweeted his support for the
protestors. After facing intense criticism from the government of
China and the cancellations of NBA games in the country the Rockets
apologized. China has become one of the NBA’s biggest
markets.

Apple too has a lot to lose if it mucks it up with China.
Almost all of its products are made in China and while it’s
struggling with smartphones in the country, it’s still among its
largest markets.