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Apple Reportedly Disables Its News App In China (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader writes: When Apple launched iOS 9, it replaced its Newsstand app with Apple News. The software has only been available to users in the U.S., but those who registered their phones in the U.S. had no problem using the app while overseas. Now, the NY Times reports that Apple is specifically disabling the app for users located in China. "Those in China who look at the top of the Apple News feed, which would normally display a list of selected articles based on a user's preferred media, instead see an error message: 'Can't refresh right now. News isn't supported in your current region.' ... Beijing generally insists that companies are responsible for censoring sensitive content inside China. In Apple's case, that would mean it would probably have to develop a censorship system — most Chinese companies use a combination of automated software and employees — to eliminate sensitive articles from feeds."
In Soviet China, news read you!
Totalitarian regime goes hand in hand with the chinese government.
I struggle to see the news.
So instead of localized news, you get no news, *at all*?
Why even put the app there? Furthermore, why would someone not in China want the extra code to perform this check on their phone? What purpose would it serve in this case?
Chinese tend to be very compliant people. When asked about censorship issues, most Chinese will say they appreciate their government insulating them from sensitive information as it makes them feel more comfortable.
a) different regions have different Politics; this might look awful from a freedom perspective, but that's how it is in China for the moment -- and the situation is also bad in the USA, just with different colors; in a country, it's a single party monopolizing power, in another two parties do a poor job of feigning democracy.
b) multinationals are, well, multinational: they must adapt to whatever Political climate exists when they entry a country or region; if they cannot adapt, they cannot do business in that place;
c) that doesn't mean everything is hopeless: to the same extent that there is the need to respect a place tradition, such place eventually learns it is on Earth and the world is shrinking: build tolerance or face the consequences (at the very least, isolation); that means we must consider each other views and values, and keeping one's way is no longer such a good idea, but improving after learning with others becomes more and more interesting.
In summary, you may think "wow, these guys are in a bad situation!" but you can also find a place so good you'll say "why can't we have that lifestyle over here, too?". Be prepared to face the conservatives wherever you live... some people love the evil they know and abhor new good things -- exactly because they're new.
2. "..have to admit they already have a censorship system.."
3. Pick one.
I would take a more activist approach and load up the phones with Tor, PGP, and all kinds of stuff to subvert Chinese censorship, then have the phones smuggled in via Taiwan.
If the Maoists don't like it, I'd pull ever last assembly line out of the country and tell them where to stick it.
Apple is sitting on 1/3 of a trillion dollars in cash. They can build 100+ factories in any other country they want, and the Chinese wouldn't be able to do shit.
Think Different commercial
1984 commercial
Tim Cook is totally outspoken when it comes to gay rights, but when it comes to censorship in China, he becomes a total wuss!!! Should one be surprised? Wonder whether they recognize gay marriage in China, and whether he supports their policy on gays or not? Maybe if one brought to his notice discrimination against gays in China, that he'd make this a personal cause celeb
...Is to sell computers with the warning that "News is not supported in your region."
Chinese users will figure out how to route around the problem.
"The software has only been available to users in the U.S.,"
Works fine in Canada from day one. Even includes the major Canadian newspapers and magazines.
Nice research.
Those are just 'lifestyle' ads. Similar to the cowboy smoking the Marlboro cigarette.
moving the factory costs to much so we have to as china says.
Even Mexico is to much for apple
Does Apple's News app in china display a message "the shitty masters you put up with won't let you see real news, BITCHES"? I thought not. Apple is one among many actively propping up that hide bound gerontocracy.
"The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them." -Lenin. They will also gleefully cooperate with evil bastards.
It just goes along with Apple's corporate slogan: "Evil? We're Okay With That."
Well maybe Mr Trump can bring some factories to the U.S. by putting them in prisons. No need to pay $20/hour to laborers when prisoners may work for sixty cents a day. But I wonder how consumers (besides local gov emloyees) are supposed to have the money to buy anything?
Worse than the labor issues is the matter of corporations avoiding U.S. taxes from outside operations, or shell layers. Don't expect TPP or TTIP to help. Even Hillary has come out against TPP. (NAFTA proved to be an embarassment for the Clintons)
Australia is putting many immigrants in contractor-run prisons in Papua New Guinnea. It's surprising that they haven't been made into a hidden labor pool. It seems the island cannibals have been replaced with a new crowd.
Even with China being around 5000 years or so, I don't think that is long enough to change genetics.
It has to be cultural. Otherwise, Europeans would have been altered by the feudalism in the Middle Ages.
More likely, culturally the Chinese are incredibly dependent on the state and high population density contributes to a lack of "personal space" and therefore a lack of freedom to be different due to the conditions.
Mind Crime.
I don't think the article is paying attention. Apple already has a system of censorship on IOS, it's one of its core features. They just need to adjust it to Chinese requirements.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Suppose an Apple hw or sw engineer was told to do something evil, like cooperating with Chinese repression, and the engineer refused because he had a conscience. I wonder if Apple would fire him.
Here's my best advice to Tim Cook: Make Apple as independent of China as possible. Some day the Chinese government will make a demand to which Mr. Cook will not comply (because of his conscience), or can not comply (because of US laws).
What's the worst thing China can do, in response to Apple's refusal? Apple makes most of its money from selling hardware, so the worst thing China could do would be to stop or severely limit Apple's manufacturing in China.
So I recommend that Mr. Cook and Jeff Williams work to find more manufacturing locations outside of Apple (they have a few now), and find more non-Chinese parts suppliers.
They might even want to buy a shuttered factory, and start getting it ready to make Apple products if necessary. It would cost some money, but it would be insurance against the possibility of a severe crimp in manufacturing.
Well, that pretty much sums it up, right? Perhaps Apple should rename the app to... what's Mandarin for Pravda?
The "news" is not the problem. Imagine if we were blocked from reading articles written in China! Laughable.