Pockets Casts, ranked 85th most popular in the podcast news app section on Apple’s U.S website, said on Wednesday its app had been taken down from Apple’s App Store in China. The move was taken by Apple after intervention by Beijing’s top internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China, Pockets Casts said via Twitter.
Pocket Casts has been removed from the Chinese App store by Apple, at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China. We believe podcasting is and should remain an open medium, free of government censorship. As such we won't be censoring podcast content at their request.
— Pocket Casts (@pocketcasts) June 11, 2020
Earlier this year, Apple in China pulled the pandemic simulation game Plague Inc. In 2019, Apple removed the Quartz news app from App Store in China over Hong Kong coverage, pulled a Hong Kong police activity tracking app from App Store following Chinese warnings, and removed VPN apps from App Store in China in 2017.
Apple U.S. officials weren’t immediately available for comment outside regular U.S. market hours. Reuters was not immediately able to contact the CAC by fax using the official number provided for the watchdog by the government.
The removal comes amid growing debate over China and freedom of speech after a resurgence of activity by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, angered by Beijing’s plans to impose new security laws.
MacDailyNews Take: In addition, Castro Podcasts has also been removed from Apple’s App Store in China.
We think it might have been our support of the protests in the Discover tab. We were not given specifics.
— Castro Podcasts (@CastroPodcasts) June 7, 2020
Another two bite the dust.
Censorship reflects society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime. – Potter Stewart
To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognize the fear, hurt, and outrage…
I have heard from so many that you feel afraid — afraid in your communities, afraid in your daily lives… We can have no society worth celebrating unless we can guarantee freedom from fear for every person who gives this country their love, labor, and life…
At Apple, our mission has been and always will be to create technology that empowers people to change the world for the better… But we must do more… With every breath we take, we must commit to being that change, and to creating a better, more just world for everyone.
— Tim Cook, flaming hypocrite
What doggonetwo says below. If you want to criticize, suggest an alternative. Apple obeys local laws. Criticizing the government in a conspicuous way is illegal in China. Killing unarmed prisoners is illegal in America. Where is the inconsistency?
When Apple went into China, there was every indication that it was democratizing. That trend unpredictably reversed. Apple is reducing its dependency on the PRC as fast as possible. Unfortunately, that isn’t very fast. Again, suggest a PRACTICAL alternative
“…I have heard from so many that you feel afraid — afraid in your communities, afraid in your daily lives…”
This is what happens when your “diversity” efforts fill up your world with people of different skin colors and genitals, but the same stupid opinions. Ignorance is the high price of decayed grievances.
Can you please explain to me what else Apple could do instead? Apple like any company that operates in other countries outside the US have to comply with local laws. They could choose not to sell or manufacture in China but that of course is not practical.
Apple by making iPhones and the App system available in China provide a medium that people can share information with. The Chinese government will try to stop its citizens from using that to spread pro-democracy information and views. However it is a case of wack-a-mole. They shut down one site and another one will pop up. That alone is giving people in China more freedom of speech than any foolhardy refusal to comply with the countries regulations would achieve.