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Friday, October 18, 2019
U.S. Lawmakers Call Apple's Move to Remove HKMap Live App 'Deeply Concerning'
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U.S lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook expressing concern over Apple's decision to remove the HKMap Live app from the App Store after complaints from the Chinese Government.
The letter [PDF] calls Apple's removal of the HKMap Live app "disappointing" and points out a prior quote from Tim Cook that reads "At Apple, we are not afraid to say that our values drive our curation decisions."
The HKMap Live app, which was used by protestors in Hong Kong to crowdsource information about street closures and police presence, was pulled from the App Store in early October.
Apple later reversed course and approved the app, allowing it back into the App Store, but after China accused Apple of "protecting rioters," Apple removed the app once again and it has remained unavailable.
According to U.S lawmakers, the HKMap Live app lets peaceful demonstrators to share locations to keep out of harm's way. Apple, says the letter, has also censored "at least 2200 apps in China," including VPN apps and apps made by and for "oppressed ethnic minorities."
The letter goes on to accuse Apple of complicity in China's efforts to block change, and questions whether Apple is willing to bow to Chinese demands to avoid losing access to Chinese consumers.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
This article, "U.S. Lawmakers Call Apple's Move to Remove HKMap Live App 'Deeply Concerning'" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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U.S lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook expressing concern over Apple's decision to remove the HKMap Live app from the App Store after complaints from the Chinese Government.
The letter [PDF] calls Apple's removal of the HKMap Live app "disappointing" and points out a prior quote from Tim Cook that reads "At Apple, we are not afraid to say that our values drive our curation decisions."
The HKMap Live app, which was used by protestors in Hong Kong to crowdsource information about street closures and police presence, was pulled from the App Store in early October.
Apple later reversed course and approved the app, allowing it back into the App Store, but after China accused Apple of "protecting rioters," Apple removed the app once again and it has remained unavailable.
According to U.S lawmakers, the HKMap Live app lets peaceful demonstrators to share locations to keep out of harm's way. Apple, says the letter, has also censored "at least 2200 apps in China," including VPN apps and apps made by and for "oppressed ethnic minorities."
The letter goes on to accuse Apple of complicity in China's efforts to block change, and questions whether Apple is willing to bow to Chinese demands to avoid losing access to Chinese consumers.
You have said publicly that you want to work with China's leaders to effect change rather than sit on the sidelines and yell at them. We, too, believe that diplomacy and trade can be democratizing forces. But when a repressive government refuses to evolve, or, indeed, when it double down, cooperation can become complicity.When the app was pulled for the final time, Apple CEO Tim Cook told Apple employees that based on "credible information" from Hong Kong police, the app was being used to target individual officers for violence.
The Chinese government is growing more aggressive in its attempts to dictate terms to U.S. corporations, as last week's headlines involving Apple, the National Basketball Association, and Activision Blizzard make clear. Cases like these raise real concern about whether Apple and other large U.S corporate entities will bow to growing Chinese demands rather than lose access to more than a billon Chinese consumers.
It is no secret that technology can be used for good or for ill. This case is no different. The app in question allowed for the crowdsourced reporting and mapping of police checkpoints, protest hotspots, and other information. On its own, this information is benign. However, over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimize individuals and property where no police are present. This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our App Store guidelines barring personal harm.The letter from the lawmakers ends by urging Apple to reverse course and re-allow the HKMaps on the App Store.
In promoting values, as in most things, actions matter far more than words. Apple's decisions last week to accommodate the Chinese government by taking down HKMaps is deeply concerning. We urge you in the strongest terms to reverse course, to demonstrate that Apple puts values above market access, and to stand with the brave men and women fighting for basic rights and dignity in Hong Kong.The letter was written by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Sen. Maro Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., and Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J. A similar letter was also sent to Blizzard following Blizzard's decision to ban Ng Wai Chung, a Hearthstone player who voiced support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tag: China
This article, "U.S. Lawmakers Call Apple's Move to Remove HKMap Live App 'Deeply Concerning'" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Cord-Cutting Bundle With Lifetime Plex Pass, Antenna and TV Tuner
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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Plex to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a cord-cutting bundle that includes a lifetime Plex Pass, an antenna, and a TV tuner for watching live TV and other content without a cable subscription.
If you're unfamiliar with Plex, it's an all-in-one media hub that organizes your entire library of content, from TV shows and movies to music and photos, plus it offers free access to news, support for Podcasts, access to live TV, and soon, some free ad-supported movies through partnerships with Warner Bros, Lionsgate, and Legendary.
To organize your media content, you can set up the Plex Media Server on a Mac, which makes everything you own accessible on all of your devices through the Plex iOS and Apple TV apps, along with Plex apps for consoles, Android devices, and other set-top boxes. You can watch and stream all of your content along with live TV content, news, and more from your Mac to any device, anywhere.
Plex's Live TV service doesn't require a cable subscription, and it's simple to set up with a digital tuner and a digital antenna. Using a tuner and an antenna with Plex lets you access HD content from channels that are available for free over-the-air, such as U.S. networks that include ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, the CW, plus local programming that includes news and sports.
You can even watch local NFL games, and with Plex's latest update, there's an option to watch live TV while simultaneously recording content through Plex's DVR feature.
Plex's website has the exact equipment you'll need to get up and running with the Plex Live TV feature. For our giveaway, Plex is providing a Mac-compatible HD HomeRun Connect Duo that lets you watch content on two devices at once, plus a ClearStream Flex HDTV Antenna.
Using Plex's Live TV functionality will require a Plex Pass subscription, which is priced at $5 per month, $40 per year, or $120 for a lifetime subscription, which is significantly cheaper than cable. Plex is including a lifetime Plex Pass in the giveaway, which gives lifetime access to Plex's premium service.
We have two Plex cord-cutting bundles to give away, complete with Mac-compatible tuner, antenna, and Plex Pass. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
Plex
The contest will run from today (October 18) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 25. The winners will be chosen randomly on October 25 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
This article, "MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Cord-Cutting Bundle With Lifetime Plex Pass, Antenna and TV Tuner" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Plex to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a cord-cutting bundle that includes a lifetime Plex Pass, an antenna, and a TV tuner for watching live TV and other content without a cable subscription.
If you're unfamiliar with Plex, it's an all-in-one media hub that organizes your entire library of content, from TV shows and movies to music and photos, plus it offers free access to news, support for Podcasts, access to live TV, and soon, some free ad-supported movies through partnerships with Warner Bros, Lionsgate, and Legendary.
To organize your media content, you can set up the Plex Media Server on a Mac, which makes everything you own accessible on all of your devices through the Plex iOS and Apple TV apps, along with Plex apps for consoles, Android devices, and other set-top boxes. You can watch and stream all of your content along with live TV content, news, and more from your Mac to any device, anywhere.
Plex's Live TV service doesn't require a cable subscription, and it's simple to set up with a digital tuner and a digital antenna. Using a tuner and an antenna with Plex lets you access HD content from channels that are available for free over-the-air, such as U.S. networks that include ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, the CW, plus local programming that includes news and sports.
You can even watch local NFL games, and with Plex's latest update, there's an option to watch live TV while simultaneously recording content through Plex's DVR feature.
Plex's website has the exact equipment you'll need to get up and running with the Plex Live TV feature. For our giveaway, Plex is providing a Mac-compatible HD HomeRun Connect Duo that lets you watch content on two devices at once, plus a ClearStream Flex HDTV Antenna.
Using Plex's Live TV functionality will require a Plex Pass subscription, which is priced at $5 per month, $40 per year, or $120 for a lifetime subscription, which is significantly cheaper than cable. Plex is including a lifetime Plex Pass in the giveaway, which gives lifetime access to Plex's premium service.
We have two Plex cord-cutting bundles to give away, complete with Mac-compatible tuner, antenna, and Plex Pass. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
Tag: giveaway
This article, "MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Cord-Cutting Bundle With Lifetime Plex Pass, Antenna and TV Tuner" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
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