Why don't they just go make their own app store? Who do they think they are that they believe they have some right to someone else's hard drive. They're private companies brO!
Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
141–150 of 515 posts
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#142For those defending this practice, consider carefully the implications of what you are advocating. On one hand you have a government deciding who can and cannot refer to themselves as adherents of a particular religion (by declaring that Ahamadis cannot call themselves Muslim). On another hand you have Google and Apple, yet again, being the complicit chokepoints of “free speech”, with regard to app developers. These…
This isn't censorship, this is just a private company deciding who is and isn't allowed on their platform. All Ahmadiyya muslims have to do is start their own company to make mobile phones and probably their own search engine as well.
> this is just a private company deciding who is and isn't allowed on their platform.
No, this actually is censorship because a government ordered that it be done.
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
"These may seem fair to you" I don't see 'seeming fair' to most people. This is just yet another example of Google and Apple's monopoly preferences being leveraged by entities that have more leverage than them. It has to stop. Free The Apps.
It took me a second to get this argument, but it’s a good one. If there were thousands of marketplaces on iOS and Android, then Pakistan would have to negotiate the removal on all of this platforms, as opposed to only two. Spelling it out clearly like that, it makes me wonder if there are many governments that prefer to have monopolies to deal with, rather than many companies. It certainly makes regulation simpler.
You can look at how many governments have managed to keep websites they don't like down. Thepiratebay and tons of other illegal sites are still available today in most places of the world even where they are illegal.
If we didn't have the free open web and instead just had appstore like gatekeepers none of those sites would be allowed to exist.
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
Let me know when Republicans start getting blocked for their political philosophy rooted in evidence and opinion, and I'll start being concerned. As long as people of any party regurgitate lies about election results against all evidence, and those lies seem to be fomenting violence, I'm leaning towards "it's okay" to remove them from certain sites. I disagree the big platforms should be common carriers. I think ISPs…
Your logic is shit. Who decides on what are lies? Are they perfect and unbiased? It’s far more than election results deniers that are being banned nowadays. If you ban lies then you should ban astrologists, most politicians, flat earthers, indeed most people. This isn’t a thought experiment. This has been happened throughout history. The Church imprisoned Galileo for saying that the Earth goes around the Sun. McCarth…
Also, are they going to ban election deniers from other countries? I read about one election in an African country where someone got more than 100 percent of the vote (more votes than there were voters, oops). Should we ban people who deny that election?
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
Censorship I don't like...
Hackernews threads seem to be overwhelming against most censorship so you may be preaching to their choir - the silence on the censoring of some hard left groups is a little disappointing.
Unless it is Parler then most Hacker News threads are pro censorship.
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#146Apple and Google made business decision to be gatekeepers to their platforms. This resulted in great profit for the companies, but at great cost of user freedoms.
Many people have celebrated Apple and Google censor and deplatform their competition and others with political bias. It’s a private company, they can do whatever they want.
Pakistan is private country, they can do whatever they want. Now, they are using their powers to force Apple and Google censor and deplatform.
Slippery slope is slippery and water is wet. As the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#147Pakistan's persecution of the Ahmadis is despicable (and that of Hindus, and Christians), and Apple and Google's meek compliance is craven.
I'd say I always found it strange how Ahmadis are universally persecuted in Pak, but a dozen way more funnier sects thrive. You constantly see some weird pirs, and "faith healers" on TV in Pakistan.
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you argue against censoring Republicans on HN, you'll get downvoted. We should oppose censorship of any form. We have a legal framework to deal with terroristic threats, child porn, and libel / slander. This year has shown the incredible power FAAMG yields with deplatformization, but they've been using their power to cave to authoritarian regimes and belittle minority populations for awhile. It all has to stop. Bi…
I generally support what you're saying, however there are two complicating factors with the Parler deplatforming that make me tolerate it. Not accept it, but tolerate it. 1. Parler was being used specifically to plan out acts of terrorism; and their moderation team took no action to stop it 2. Parler was not a free speech platform On that first bit: while I generally want big platforms to be regulated like common car…
Parler was not used by the rioters. Nobody who was arrested planned anything on Parler, but they did use Facebook and Twitter.
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
Totally right. Remember that capital doesn't have a nation. Companies registered in the US have to comply with US laws. But a legal entity in Pakistan have to obide by those rules. And if it's profitable - they will. Replace Pakistan with any other country name, the argument doesn't change. It's the law in that jurisdiction. You can't really mix and match the legislation you like and don't like. No idea if the partic…
Funny how Apple and Google are still fine with doing business in Pakistan.
What exactly is your point?
Re: Google, Apple cave to Pakistan pressure to take down apps by Ahmadiyya Muslims
#150For those defending this practice, consider carefully the implications of what you are advocating. On one hand you have a government deciding who can and cannot refer to themselves as adherents of a particular religion (by declaring that Ahamadis cannot call themselves Muslim). On another hand you have Google and Apple, yet again, being the complicit chokepoints of “free speech”, with regard to app developers. These…
The (rather massive) flaw in your reasoning is the idea that Google and Apple are the solution to the problem. If you live in a society without religious freedom, that's a big problem, but Apple and Google can't fix it. If you care about the problem, it's important to understand this. If you succeed in getting people to focus on symptom of the problem and not the cause, you will help prevent it from being addressed.
Apple and Google put themselves in a position where they became a part of the problem. If they ran open platforms where they don't have to power to ban apps this would never have happened.