Apple defends complying with China over VPNs
 

Apple defends complying with China over VPNs
Dave Lee
North America technology reporter

Tim Cook said Apple would rather not remove the apps.

Apple boss Tim Cook has defended his company’s decision to comply with the Chinese government’s demand it remove VPN software from the App Store.
Virtual Private Networks are often used to skirt censorship and surveillance in countries with tight restrictions on internet use.
The company has been heavily criticised for removing several VPN apps, and was accused of “aiding Chinese censorship efforts”.
Apple said it disagreed with China’s position but had to comply with the country’s laws.
"We would obviously rather not remove the apps,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said on Tuesday.

"But like we do in other countries we follow the law wherever we do business.
Mr Cook said comparisons to a legal battle in the US last year - in which the firm refused to help the FBI unlock a dead terrorist's iPhone - were unfair.
"They’re very different,” he said.
"In the case of the US, the law in the US supported us. I was very clear. In the case of China, the law is also very clear there. Like we would if the US changed the law here, we’d have to abide by them in both cases."
'Most drastic measure'
Activists and indeed regular citizens in China have been finding ways to poke holes in the country’s infamous Great Firewall of China which blocks “questionable” content and is heavily monitored.
To operate a VPN service in the country, companies must be authorised by the Chinese authorities.
Apple sales boosted by services growth
Those without permission, such as ExpressVPN, have been singled out for removal from Apple’s App Store.
“We’re disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date,” said ExpressVPN in a blog post.
“We are troubled to see Apple aiding China’s censorship efforts. ExpressVPN strongly condemns these measures, which threaten free speech and civil liberties.”
Mr Cook said Apple stated its opposition to the removal through the “appropriate” channels.
"We believe in engaging with governments even when we disagree,” he said.
"In this particular case, we are hopeful that over time the [restrictions] we’re seeing are loosened, because innovation requires freedom to collaborate and communicate.”
Mr Cook’s remarks were made during the firm’s quarterly earnings call. While the firm performed strongly in most of the world, it continues to struggle in China where revenues dropped 10% compared to this time last year.
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Apple defends complying with China over VPNs - BBC News

Bid domestic.

This means what?

Although not an exact situation, it makes Apple look hypocritical from the Apple-FBI dispute last year, FBI–Apple encryption dispute.

not at all.
I despise how china treats their people with censorship, but apple has to act in the best behavior for their shareholders here. Cutting off china is not going to happen.

Internet censorship is pretty far down the list of problems for the Chinese people.
Apple is very hypocritical in this venture to appease the Chinese, but remember that the almighty iPhone is made there

Off the record, Cook added: "Our plan to acquire China as an Apple subsidiary is proceeding on schedule." :D

Apples employee ranks surge by 1,333,725,000!

Agree 100%
I applaud Google's stance and find Apple's but especially Yahoo's actions absolutely appalling.
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Google -> :)
"...Google said it stopped running the censored Google.cn service on Monday and was routing its Chinese users to an uncensored version of Google based in Hong Kong.
"We want as many people in the world as possible to have access to our services, including users in mainland China, yet the Chinese government has been crystal clear throughout our discussions that self-censorship is a non-negotiable legal requirement," said Senior Vice President David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, on the blog...."
(when in mainland China Google's search engine is now redirected to Hong Kong which is still, and only for now, semi-free from Communist China's censorship.)

Google quits censoring search in China - CNN.com

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Apple -> :o
"...Apple has shut down its Apple News Service in China without prior consent from its users, surrendering to communist China’s demands to censor news Beijing deems unacceptable..."

https://www.eurotopics.net/en/172246...rship-in-china

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Meanwhile:
Yahoo -> :mad:
"...Chinese journalist Shi Tao, jailed for eight years after Yahoo gave up his identity..."

Chinese journalist Shi Tao, jailed for eight years after Yahoo gave up his identity, gets early release | South China Morning Post