Apple’s Silence in China Sets a Dangerous Precedent
Apple’s only public statement on the VPN ban said that the company had been “required to remove some VPN apps in China
that do not meet the new regulations,” but noted that the “apps remain available in all other markets where they do business.” Despite the pulldown, Apple says there are still hundreds of VPN apps available on its Chinese app store, some of which remain unregistered with the government.
Apple pulled down several VPN apps — programs that allow iPhone users to bypass
the Chinese government’s censorship apparatus — from its Chinese App Store.
Early this year, Apple pulled down app in the Chinese App Store, and both Apple and Google removed the LinkedIn app from their Russian app stores.
Whatever Apple may have done in private to fight the Chinese internet law, the company has not offered a peep of criticism in public.
The company’s silence may be tactical; the Chinese government, the conventional thinking goes, does not take well to public rebuke.
He made clear that Apple would obey American law — but only after trying to shape the law.
The developers behind the apps must register with the government under a cybersecurity law that went into effect in January.
The Chinese market accounts for a quarter of Apple’s sales, and many analysts see the region as a key growth area for the company.
It is worth underlining this point: When Apple took a public stand for its users’ liberty and privacy, the American government blinked.
Yet in China over the weekend, when faced with a broad demand by the Chinese internet authority, it was Apple that blinked.