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Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

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Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#61

Post by idlewords »

oarsinsync wrote: post #60
nneonneo wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how exactly would you know that? There is a great deal of animosity towards police right now in HK. A very small minority of protestors have demonstrated willingness to apply violence, and police (including off-duty officers) have been attacked in the open on more than one occasion. So I don’t think it’s inconceivable that the availability of a crowdsourced map might increase such incidents. Of course, this is go…

One of the problems being faced in HK is that there are times when it's difficult to identify when the police are HK police, or when the police are actually Chinese military in HK uniform. One of the signs (as it always is) is the footwear used by the officers differs between actual HK police and Chinese military forces in HK police uniform. Another problem is that there are times when it's difficult to identify when…

There is zero evidence of covert mainland Chinese participation in the protests on either side, although as you demonstrate the rumors about it are nonstop.

Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#62

Post by newscracker »

edvinasbartkus wrote: post #43

When the app is removed from the App Store, does it mean that it disappears from all phones, or it means that the new sales of the app are not possible?

In my understanding, this depends on what action Apple exactly takes. If it just removes it from the App Store, all existing installations on devices would remain and continue to work. If Apple revokes the developer's certificate, then the app would likely fail to launch sometime soon and would be removed.

I'm sure there are gaps in my understanding. Corrections are welcome.

Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#63

Post by [deleted] »

kevingadd wrote: post #38
keiferski wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t cancel culture more or less the same thing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call-out_culture#Cancel_Cultur...

Cancel culture is not remotely related to Apple pulling a maps application off the app store. No one has been cancelled here, unless you count government suppression of speech as "cancel culture".

[deleted]

Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#64

Post by siruncledrew »

Out of curiosity, I reviewed the App Store guidelines: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#leg...

The Legal Section states:

"Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where you make them available (if you’re not sure, check with a lawyer). We know this stuff is complicated, but it is your responsibility to understand and make sure your app conforms with all local laws, not just the guidelines below. And of course, apps that solicit, promote, or encourage criminal or clearly reckless behavior will be rejected. In extreme cases, such as apps that are found to facilitate human trafficking and/or the exploitation of children, appropriate authorities will be notified."

There is also a sub-section, which states:

"(iii) Apps should not attempt to surreptitiously build a user profile based on collected data and may not attempt, facilitate, or encourage others to identify anonymous users or reconstruct user profiles based on data collected from Apple-provided APIs or any data that you say has been collected in an “anonymized,” “aggregated,” or otherwise non-identifiable way."

Obviously, with HK and China, the stringency of Apple adhering to their guidelines on decisioning is politically contentious.

From a broader perspective though, there is something about this type of app functionality that is interesting for other cases - What are Apple's rules about app users tracking other people without their knowledge/consent, and then sharing that information with others?

This is also important because it influences levels of privacy protection.

As a low-level example, Waze tracks locations of police, cameras, roadwork, etc., which helps drivers avoid tickets for speeding (generally, this seems pretty accepted and I don't know of any major complaints).

However, say I have an app that tracks celebrities, musicians, businesspeople, athletes, etc., and I share that location data on a live map for others to see, and also contribute to. I imagine that would not go over too well with the people being tracked, even if they were being tracked out of admiration. This presents its own set of problems too for app abilities.

Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#66

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

s3r3nity wrote: post #58
tibbydudeza wrote: post #24

This is their Blizzard moment. So Apple are just the same as Google , Facebook and the rest of them , top please their shareholders for the almighty buck. So the lesson here is to rather use the Android platform if you want "freedom".

> So Apple are just the same as Google... > So the lesson here is to rather use the Android platform if you want "freedom". I doubt you're going to get much more "freedom" from a Google owned platform if you think the two companies are just as bad...unless you're prepared to root the device to hell to the point of almost replacing the OS completely. SIDEBAR: Facebook is banned in China, partly because FB didn't want…

At least on Android you can (at least, for now) load an .apk from a developer website,or install an alternative store, or even F-droid.

Apple must be coerced by law to allow app sideloading and third-party app stores on iOS devices.

Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#68

Post by RealStickman »

s3r3nity wrote: post #58
tibbydudeza wrote: post #24

This is their Blizzard moment. So Apple are just the same as Google , Facebook and the rest of them , top please their shareholders for the almighty buck. So the lesson here is to rather use the Android platform if you want "freedom".

> So Apple are just the same as Google... > So the lesson here is to rather use the Android platform if you want "freedom". I doubt you're going to get much more "freedom" from a Google owned platform if you think the two companies are just as bad...unless you're prepared to root the device to hell to the point of almost replacing the OS completely. SIDEBAR: Facebook is banned in China, partly because FB didn't want…

It's far easier to install a different rom without Google Apps on android than change the os of an iphone.

Re: Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store

#70

Post by wtmt »

ewoodrich wrote: post #3

From NBC News reporter @DylanByers on Twitter: “We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. We have learned that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong. Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it. The app displays police locations and we have verified with the…

This sounds like a template blurb, not an actual stance. I wonder why Apple didn't remove WhatsApp from the App Store in India, since it was the platform used to lynch several people in the last few years. Local law in India prohibits people killing people.

This is a slippery slope, and Apple fell right into it quickly instead of being cautious and fighting for what's right!

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