Apple chief Tim Cook defends decision to pull Hong Kong mapping app saying it was being used to target police
- Tech giant’s boss defends decision to remove app from store – but it remains available on website and for Android users
- Firm is accused of bowing to China’s demands as makers insist the app used to track police movements has been ‘censored’
A mobile phone app that allows people to track the locations of Hong Kong police can still be widely used by Apple users despite removing it from its app store.
In a leaked memo to Apple staff, chief executive Tim Cook defended the removal of the HKmap.live app, which crowd sources police locations around Hong Kong, saying it was being used “maliciously” to target police officers and commit vandalism.
“National and international debates will outlive us all, and, while important, they do not govern the facts. In this case, we thoroughly reviewed them, and we believe this decision best protects our users,” Cook said in the memo.
“Over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimise individuals and property where no police are present.”
Apple’s decision was widely criticised and prompted accusations it was bowing to demands by the Chinese government to protect its business interests on the mainland.
But Apple users who downloaded the app before the removal can still use it on their devices and the web-based version still functions.
Android users can also still download the app via Google Play store. Google pulled out of mainland China several years ago.
However, this week Google removed a mobile game called The Revolution of Our Time, which let players pretend to be Hong Kong protesters, on the grounds it was “attempting to make money from serious ongoing conflicts or tragedies”.
The makers of HKmap.live said the app used information gathered by users, social networks and news outlets to show where the city’s police have gathered and some users have said it helps them to avoid trouble spots.
In messages posted online on Thursday, the makers denied that their app encourages criminal activity, and lashed out at Apple’s removal as “censorship” and “clearly a political decision to suppress freedom”.
There is also a new version of the HKmap.live app, called BackupHK: HKmap.live, but it is not available on the Apple store.
Hong Kong police said that they were communicating with the operators of platforms where the HKmap.live app could still be accessed.
“The app is very likely to leak the location of the police, offering opportunities to criminals to ambush the police,” Kevin Kong Wing-cheung, acting chief superintendent of the police public relations branch said. “This in fact poses risks to the safety of police, let alone greatly affecting public safety and order.”
Kong added that if criminals knew the location of the police, they would take advantage of that and carry out illegal activities in places where police were not present.
Some US politicians have criticised Cook’s explanation. Republican senator Rick Scott tweeted that Apple had put profits before human rights and dignity, adding: “Apple’s decision to cave to Communist China’s demands is unacceptable.”
Hong Kong politician Charles Mok, representing the Information Technology Functional Constituency on the city’s Legislative Council, published an open letter to Cook on Thursday. It read: “As a user of the app, and as a citizen of Hong Kong, I am deeply disappointed with Apple’s decision to ban the app.
“Users are merely sharing the location information with the app to arrange their own transportation route and protect themselves from indiscriminate use of tear gas and confrontations.
“I sincerely hope Apple will choose to support its users and stop banning HKmap.live simply out of political reason or succumbing to China’s influence like other American companies appear to be doing.”
Users are sharing information to protect themselves from indiscriminate use of tear gas
“Apple and other such companies should distinguish between right and wrong, and understand the truth,” a commentary published by China Daily on Tuesday said.
The basketball league was hit by a loss of Chinese sponsorship deal and calls for a boycott on the mainland after a controversy that began when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a picture reading “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong” on Twitter.
Asked about Apple’s decision to remove the HKmap.live app from its store, one protester – identified only by his surname Chau – said he was not bothered by the decision.
“Tim Cook is a businessman, it was predictable that large international companies will ultimately care more about China as it is the biggest market outside of the US,” he said.
“Look at what happened to the NBA, they said one thing and they are blocked in China”.
The 21-year-old graduate added: “Hongkongers are creative, we will come up with another way to spread information.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
