Apple draws criticism after pulling Chinese anti-censorship app
Apple has been criticized by the developer of a Chinese app designed to bypass China's Internet censorship protocols after the company removed the title from the App Store in China because its functionality is illegal in that country.
Open Door was sold in the Chinese App Store until July of this year, when Apple pulled the program, saying that it contained content that was illegal within China. The app saw roughly 2,000 daily downloads in China, according to the Daily Mail, and it is still available in the App Stores of other countries, including the U.S. App Store.
Open Door "protects users' privacy and anonymity online," according to its developers. It was a browser app that circumvented China's "great firewall," and its developers say that any information accessed through the app would be accessed at the user's own discretion.
Subverting China?s state censorship firewall is trivial for users to do via either a proxy server or using a Virtual Private Network. The developer?s Open Door app packaged this bypass functionality in a free app with advertising, and sold In App Purchases to remove the advertising.
The app's developers say that they received no notification from Apple of the app's removal. Upon contacting Apple, they were told that developers must abide by the laws of the countries in which their apps are sold. They say that they will not challenge Open Door's removal, claiming fears that the app could come under scrutiny and face removal in other countries.
"Unfortunately," one developer told CNN, "we're not aware of any app developer ever [who was successful] in challenging Apple's decision. In fact, we won't be surprised if Apple decides to pull our app from all App Stores and/or terminates our account in retaliation."
After the app's removal, Apple came under fire from Chinese social media users, who accused Apple of kowtowing to the demands of China's government.
"The fruit is contaminated," one user wrote on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo. "Where is your integrity!" wrote another.
Apple has previously pulled apps from the Chinese App Store in order to come into alignment with laws in that country. In April, Apple pulled a book-selling app that gave users access to government-banned titles. That move came shortly after Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to Chinese customers following a string of government-boosted anti-Apple stories.
Apple executives have continually acknowledged the importance of the Chinese market for the company's future. China surpassed the United States as the world's largest market for mobile devices earlier this year, and Apple's devices enjoy considerable popularity in the world's most populous nation. In order to better court Chinese consumers, many of which have incomes too low to afford Apple's products, the iPhone maker has introduced new pricing and payment strategies in order to make sure its devices get into their hands.
Open Door was sold in the Chinese App Store until July of this year, when Apple pulled the program, saying that it contained content that was illegal within China. The app saw roughly 2,000 daily downloads in China, according to the Daily Mail, and it is still available in the App Stores of other countries, including the U.S. App Store.
Open Door "protects users' privacy and anonymity online," according to its developers. It was a browser app that circumvented China's "great firewall," and its developers say that any information accessed through the app would be accessed at the user's own discretion.
Subverting China?s state censorship firewall is trivial for users to do via either a proxy server or using a Virtual Private Network. The developer?s Open Door app packaged this bypass functionality in a free app with advertising, and sold In App Purchases to remove the advertising.
The app's developers say that they received no notification from Apple of the app's removal. Upon contacting Apple, they were told that developers must abide by the laws of the countries in which their apps are sold. They say that they will not challenge Open Door's removal, claiming fears that the app could come under scrutiny and face removal in other countries.
"Unfortunately," one developer told CNN, "we're not aware of any app developer ever [who was successful] in challenging Apple's decision. In fact, we won't be surprised if Apple decides to pull our app from all App Stores and/or terminates our account in retaliation."
After the app's removal, Apple came under fire from Chinese social media users, who accused Apple of kowtowing to the demands of China's government.
"The fruit is contaminated," one user wrote on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo. "Where is your integrity!" wrote another.
Apple has previously pulled apps from the Chinese App Store in order to come into alignment with laws in that country. In April, Apple pulled a book-selling app that gave users access to government-banned titles. That move came shortly after Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to Chinese customers following a string of government-boosted anti-Apple stories.
Apple executives have continually acknowledged the importance of the Chinese market for the company's future. China surpassed the United States as the world's largest market for mobile devices earlier this year, and Apple's devices enjoy considerable popularity in the world's most populous nation. In order to better court Chinese consumers, many of which have incomes too low to afford Apple's products, the iPhone maker has introduced new pricing and payment strategies in order to make sure its devices get into their hands.
Comments
And if they didn't take it down, people would complain that Apple was helping people to break the law.
The app is illegal in China. Apple had every right to take it down.
If you want to bypass China's censors, then get TOR. Dummy.
What else are Apple supposed to do? China's laws may be utterly appalling, but if you want to do business there you have to abide by them.
I support the authoritarian communists in this instance.
The main thing that matters is Apple selling more devices in China, and censorship is how things are done over there, so censor away.
While I sympathise with the activists' point of view, it's not wise for a guest to take sides in a domestic dispute.
Mention of Samsung makes me shudder. Brings back an old Aussie commination:
'May your chooks turn into emus,
And peck your dunny down.
Peck your dunny down.
Really go to town.
I hope your chooks turn into emus.
Yes, I do, I really do.
And when they've pecked your dunny down,
I hope they peck on you.'
What else are Apple supposed to do? China's laws may be utterly appalling, but if you want to do business there you have to abide by them.
Didn't Google pull out of China for this reason?
Ya wanna make money in China, you've gotta take it in the ass from Xi Jinping. Shouldn't hurt too much.
Didn't Google pull out of China for this reason?
A few years ago Google redirected Chinese users to their Hong Kong Google search which wasn't censored and allowed people to search terms like "tiananmen square" and it royally pissed off the Chinese government. The Chinese gov't blocked Google and Google caved. They went back to allowing China to censor search results but Google put a message up to the user saying that the results had been censored. That message was dropped early this year.
Does anyone else see the PORTAL logo?
If you do business abroad there is only one of two choices: obey the local law, or get out.
Well, Apple needs to have a good relationship with the Chinese government if they want to sell iDevices there. Facilitating communication that is forbidden by the government would not be helpful to the relationship.
Its OK to take heat for abiding by the law. They don't have to agree with the law but they should respect China law and abide by it when they are in China.
I support the authoritarian communists in this instance.
The main thing that matters is Apple selling more devices in China, and censorship is how things are done over there, so censor away.
Yeah right. Anything for a buck is ok. Good thinking. Wanna buy some crack ?
No, but following the law for the purpose of selling a product is. Would you prefer child porn apps in the US? Age of consent is 12 in some places, after all.
If they want to do business in China without all the constant negative press that we saw plenty of earlier this year (leading to the apology from TC), they'll have to kowtow to the Chinese Government. Period.
They can't carry the banner for "the resistance". It is neither their place nor their mandate.
Apple can, however, continue to supply them with these devices (that are both a phone AND an internet communication device capable of bypassing the censors), and given the right tools, users can continue without Apple's "blessing"%u2026
e.g. If you downloaded that same app off a regular website, all you'd have to do to install it to your phone without using the App Store, is drag and drop it onto iTunes. Done! The next time you sync, it'll be on your phone.
Being on the App Store does legitimize developers (and protects users a bit more), but in circumstances like these, well, sometimes a bit more discretion is advised...