Apple Gives Chinese Government What It Wants (Again); Pulls Quran App From Chinese App Store
from the consequences-of-heavy-buy-in dept
Apple has generally been pretty good about protecting users from government overreach, its recent voluntary (and misguided) foray into client-side scanning of users' images notwithstanding. But that seemingly only applies here in the United States, which is going to continue to pose problems for Apple if it chooses to combat local overreach while giving foreign, far more censorial governments greater and greater control.
Like many other tech companies, Apple has no desire to lose access to one of the largest groups of potential customers in the world. Hence its deference to China, which has seen the company do things like pull the New York Times app in China following the government's obviously bullshit claim that the paper was a purveyor of "fake news."
Since then, Apple has developed an even closer relationship with the Chinese government, which culminated in the company opening data centers in China to comply with the government's mandate that all foreign companies store Chinese citizens' data locally where it's much easier for the government to demand access.
On a smaller scale, Apple pulled another app -- one that encrypted text messages on platforms that don't provide their own encryption -- in response to government demands. Once again, Apple left Chinese citizens at the mercy of their government, apparently in exchange for the privilege of selling them devices that promised them security and privacy while actually offering very little of either.
The latest acquiescence by Apple will help the Chinese government continue its oppression of the country's Uighur minority -- Muslim adherents that have been subjected to religious persecution for years. Whoever the government doesn't cage, disappear, or genocide into nonexistence will see nothing but the bottom of a jackboot for years to come. Apple is aiding and abetting the jackboot, according to this report by the BBC.
Apple has taken down one of the world's most popular Quran apps in China, following a request from officials.
Quran Majeed is available across the world on the App Store - and has nearly 150,000 reviews. It is used by millions of Muslims.
The BBC understands that the app was removed for hosting illegal religious texts.
The app is developed by Pakistan Data Management Services, a software company that dates back nearly 50 years. China pretty much owns Pakistan at this point, but this has nothing to do with Pakistan's purchased allegiance to the Chinese government, and everything to do with punishing religious beliefs (and believers) the Chinese government doesn't like.
Apple's compliance cuts off access to nearly 1 million Chinese users of the app, as the BBC reports. This is happening despite the fact the Chinese government pays lip service to a limited form of religious freedom.
The Chinese Communist Party officially recognises Islam as a religion in the country.
And yet, it claims the primary religious text of the faith is "illegal.
Apple is also at least partly owned by China, albeit not in any formal sense. It relies heavily on Chinese manufacturing to produce its devices. This means Apple faces both upline and downline issues if it refuses to comply with the Chinese government's demands. The company is in a difficult position, what with shareholders in the US (and all over the world) expecting continued growth and profitability. But it's not as though it's an impossible situation. Sometimes you have to sacrifice profits for principle.
Apple -- with its reliance on Chinese manufacturing -- may be in too deep to make a principled stand. China has the upper hand for now. If Apple wants to continue to be seen as a world leader in device security and personal privacy protections, it needs to start figuring out how to end its abusive relationship with the Chinese government.
Filed Under: app store, china, content moderation, ios, quran, religion
Companies: apple
