Apple Brings Mainland Chinese Web Censorship To Hong Kong (theintercept.com) 35
An anonymous reader shares a report: When Safari users in Hong Kong recently tried to load the popular code-sharing website GitLab, they received a strange warning instead: Apple's browser was blocking the site for their own safety. The access was temporarily cut off thanks to Apple's use of a Chinese corporate website blacklist, which resulted in the innocuous site being flagged as a purveyor of misinformation. Neither Tencent, the massive Chinese firm behind the web filter, nor Apple will say how or why the site was censored. The outage was publicized just ahead of the new year. On December 30, 2022, Hong Kong-based software engineer and former Apple employee Chu Ka-cheong tweeted that his web browser had blocked access to GitLab, a popular repository for open-source code. Safari's "safe browsing" feature greeted him with a full-page "deceptive website warning," advising that because GitLab contained dangerous "unverified information," it was inaccessible. Access to GitLab was restored several days later, after the situation was brought to the company's attention.
The warning screen itself came courtesy of Tencent, the mammoth Chinese internet conglomerate behind WeChat and League of Legends. The company operates the safe browsing filter for Safari users in China on Apple's behalf -- and now, as the Chinese government increasingly asserts control of the territory, in Hong Kong as well. Apple spokesperson Nadine Haija would not answer questions about the GitLab incident, suggesting they be directed at Tencent, which also declined to offer responses. The episode raises thorny questions about privatized censorship done in the name of "safety" -- questions that neither company seems interested in answering: How does Tencent decide what's blocked? Does Apple have any role? Does Apple condone Tencent's blacklist practices?
The warning screen itself came courtesy of Tencent, the mammoth Chinese internet conglomerate behind WeChat and League of Legends. The company operates the safe browsing filter for Safari users in China on Apple's behalf -- and now, as the Chinese government increasingly asserts control of the territory, in Hong Kong as well. Apple spokesperson Nadine Haija would not answer questions about the GitLab incident, suggesting they be directed at Tencent, which also declined to offer responses. The episode raises thorny questions about privatized censorship done in the name of "safety" -- questions that neither company seems interested in answering: How does Tencent decide what's blocked? Does Apple have any role? Does Apple condone Tencent's blacklist practices?
so apple will use this to say why app store needs (Score:3)
so apple will use this to say why app store needs to be locked down.
and why webkit must be the only way to use browser code.
Re:so apple will use this to say why app store nee (Score:5, Insightful)
Google, Apple, or others, could just pull out of China. No one is required to cooperate with that government, it's just the lure of money doing the breakdown of any remaining morals they have.
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Google, Apple, or others, could just pull out of China. No one is required to cooperate with that government, it's just the lure of money doing the breakdown of any remaining morals they have.
Companies do not have morals.
Sure, they can all pull out of China.
People not living in China who are complaining about Chinese laws don't have to do that either.
Those same people doing nothing to help the matter, they don't have to do that either.
So long as the majority of the people complaining about the Chinese government continue to financially support that government, they will have to deal with others pointing out their complaints as the hollow nothings they are.
Starlink (Score:3)
The only remedy is starlink, until Xi tells Musk to either yield or give up Tesla China.
Re: Starlink (Score:2)
With the way things are going, I wouldnâ(TM)t becc surprised if in 7 years regular flagship mobile phones worked with Starlink or some other satellite services.
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Yeah, there are many competitors coming ..such as Oneweb (who Musk stole the idea from), Kuiper (from Blue Origin/Jeff Bezos), and Apple's thing.
Re: Starlink (Score:2)
ROFL, talk about Musk Derangement Syndrome. Musk "stole the idea" from Arthur C. Clarke, just like OneWeb did.
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Oneweb (previous name worldvu) had the concept of a mega constellation and presented it to Elon, who subsequently copied it. It's well documented.
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Yeah, there are many competitors coming ..such as Oneweb (who Musk stole the idea from), Kuiper (from Blue Origin/Jeff Bezos), and Apple's thing.
Just curious how he is considered to have stolen the idea, rather than improved on it?
I just looked at the OneWeb website and they don't seem to be targeting private citizens. Their target market seems to be corporations and governments. For this reason, they don't even seem to be directly competing?
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The Godwin comparisons suggest themselves. (Score:3)
Re:The Godwin comparisons suggest themselves. (Score:5, Informative)
IBM, Ford, Chase Manhattan Bank, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), and General Motors have what in common?
They all dealt with the Nazis.
There's a Godwin comparison.
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They're complying with country law. It's in their best interest as a company of course, because China would just kick them out because the state has complete market control over there. And that would cost Apple a lot. So it's definitely in their best interest to follow the law.
If you want to make change, don't go after the ones following the law, you have to go after the ones MAKING the law. It's the same thing for things like tax loopholes. You won't accomplish anything by trying to go after the ones fo
Re:The Godwin comparisons suggest themselves. (Score:5, Interesting)
This is one of the few areas where Government really actually should do some regulating in the market place.
Fundamentally our laws are or should be a reflection of our societies values. If we value things like freedom of expression, the right to face your accuser, due process than we should absolutely be trying to export those values. If we are NOT trying to push those values on others what does it say about how much we really value them?
I am not saying we should use force but it absolutely should shape our trade policy. This is one place where the market place can't really work because if one player refuses to sell out they will be undercut by someone who will.
Free trade is antithetical to actual freedom when you allow it with non-free trade partners. China never should have been 'opened' and neither should much of the middle east. Access to the US market should be contingent on adopting something minimally resembling our values at least, and the ability to export to markets for domestic producers should be similarly contingent.
Re: The Godwin comparisons suggest themselves. (Score:2)
There is some precedent for such legislation. E.g., antiboycott laws.
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So, basically, what you're saying is that the "one country, two systems" experiment has failed and it's time (past time actually, if you were to ask me) for the land where the sun never sets to take Hong Kong back.
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Basically. It only exists in name only. Many companies have treated Hong Kong as China since the 2019 freedom riots.
There's no reason to pretend Hong Kong isn't China anymore - China has been appointing leaders that are basically CCP for years. China wanted the benefits of an "independent" Hong Ko
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A country doesn't need complete control of the market to kick a company out. See TikTok, for example. Or Huawei.
Not that I'm defending China's censorship here, but Huawei hasn't even been found guilty of breaking any laws. Has TikTok, or is it all just innuendo so far?
I'm no fan of the CCP, I just don't like the double standard. "It's okay when we do it because we are the good guys" is a very dangerous path to do l go down.
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I'm sure that blocking US users' access (Score:1, Troll)
To dangerous sites like the New York Post would result in far less condemnation.
Just a hunch.
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It depends on whether you think misinformation is dangerous really.
Re: I'm sure that blocking US users' access (Score:1)
No, it depends on whether you think the NYP publishes "misinformation" as opposed to verifiable facts, whether you think censorship is an acceptable answer to information you don't like (whether true or false), and whether or not you honestly think your side will never be on the receiving end of "sanitized for your own safety."
Apple Inc. Mission Statement (Score:5, Insightful)
"We’re all in. Apple has strengthened its long-standing commitment to making the workplace more inclusive and promoting justice globally."
"Privacy is a human right. Apple designs its products to protect consumers’ privacy and give them control over their information. The company believes that privacy is a fundamental human right."
"Racial equity and justice. As a global leader in technology, Apple acknowledges its responsibility in the fight against systemic racism and injustice globally."
"Supplier responsibility. Apple holds its suppliers to the highest labor and human rights standards, health and safety, and environmental practices."
https://bstrategyhub.com/apple... [bstrategyhub.com]
They forgot to mention "unless we can, relative to Western values, legally or through corruption exploit workers to make an extra few pennies", e.g. China.
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Just pure virtue signalling from an abhorrent company.
I haven't bought an Apple product in decades, and have no plans to ever again.
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Equity can only be achieved by Global Communist Totalitarianism.
That's just the Game Theory of it.
Believe Apple when they say it.
When I think of dangerous subversive orgs... (Score:3)
GitLab's definitely #1 on my list.
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As far as I'm concerned (Score:3)
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A lot of good people have left Hong Kong. It is a giant prison camp.
All big corporations do censorship (Score:1)
The problem is that it's a closed system (Score:3)
Before Apple, smartphones were fairly open systems. Yes you had repositories, but nothing stopped you from installing your own software. Censorship, particularly at the level big "tech" forces onto the user, wasn't even thinkable back then.
Back then people claimed that this would stop malware from spreading. In reality the app stores are full of malware. Many apps will have things like advertisements or third party user experience frameworks which will send every interaction to a third party.