Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Apple offline in China amid row over Hong Kong anti-police app

iTunes and App Store inaccessible after decision not to pull app showing where Hong Kong police are

Over 100 million users of Apple gadgets in China have had trouble since the weekend accessing iTunes and App Store – the US tech behemoth’s online marketplaces for apps and value-added content – on their iPhones and iPads.

The service glitch still not explained by Apple is believed to be due to Beijing’s move to barricade connections to the backbone network of the group’s services after Apple’s perceived inaction to pull a mapping app that can reportedly track the real-time deployment of Hong Kong police as riot squads continue to face protesters in the city’s streets.

HKmap.live – the app at the center of Beijing’s ire – has been lambasted by Chinese state media as a “thugs’ app” that “helps scoundrels get away with rioting.”

It has been the most downloaded app under the travel category for Apple’s Hong Kong App Store since huge protests spurred by a now-retracted China extradition bill in June.

Chinese news portals including NetEase reported on Tuesday that Apple’s office in China had been given a formal request to remove the “illegal” app with an unspecified deadline.

The app crowdsources the locations of specific police units and contingents, as well as protesters, as the opposing sides engage in pitched battles in Hong Kong’s narrow streets.

Apple previously delisted the app, developed by a team of anonymous tech experts, from its App Store earlier this month but reversed the decision not long after, despite receiving a deluge of complaints from users with Apple accounts registered on the mainland.

But a large number of supporters of the app also emerged almost instantly. Protesters who have spent their weekends scuffling with police over recent months hailed the app as a “life-saver” and an essential part of a demonstrator’s gear – along with helmets and goggles – to help them evade law enforcers.

HKmap.live relies on numerous users to report and track the deployment of police officers, cordons and their assets so that protesters can plan and coordinate their tactics for hit-and-run, flash mob attacks at government offices and train stations, while greatly reducing the risk of being waylaid and nabbed. The more users hooked together on the app, the more accurate the tracking and positioning.

Not available on mainland
The app is not available on the App Store for mainland China, where the content and apps are all carefully curated and examined to ensure strict conformity to Beijing’s draconian Internet laws and regulations.

The brisk business in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China is a pillar supporting Apple’s profitability. It made $9.6 billion in sales from the Greater China Region in the April-to-June period, according to the company’s bourse filings.

Hong Kong’s anti-government and anti-Beijing demonstrators are gadget-savvy and smart enough about tech to strategize their moves and stay in touch, while keeping their communications and whereabouts away from the prying eyes of the authorities.

Among the other apps that they rely to advance their course is Telegram, a cloud-based, encrypted instant messaging service, which has also been on the receiving end of hacking suspected to have originated in mainland China.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×