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Apple Music Caught Censoring Pro-Democracy Music In China (gizmodo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the doing-business-but-at-what-cost dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Chinese journalists and netizens recently found that Apple Music's Chinese streaming service censored a song by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung that references the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, an extremely politically sensitive topic for the Chinese Communist Party. The incident's 30th anniversary is coming up in June. Sophie Richardson, the China Director at Human Rights Watch, called the reported move "spectacularly craven." The Tiananmen protests are emblematic of a larger pro-democracy movement in China that was snuffed out by the Beijing government. Thousands of protesters were killed, but the exact numbers have themselves been censored by Chinese government officials.

Apple Music has also reportedly censored Anthony Wong and Denise Ho, two pro-democracy singers. After being noticed by Chinese netizens, the removals were reported by the Hong Kong Free Press and The Stand, two Hong Kong-based news outlets. Taiwan News also reported the censorship of Cheung's "Ren Jian Dao." The music remains available on Apple Music's North American products. "By removing a song referring the Tiananmen Massacre, @apple is actively participating in the Chinese Communist Party's agenda of scrubbing the colossal violations it has committed against the Chinese people from collective memory and rewriting history," tweeted Yaqiu Wang, a Chinese researcher with Human Rights Watch.

10 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Democracy by The+Altruist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because nothing is more threatening to a walled garden.

  2. Business as usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apple is not in the business of free speech, they're in the business of making money. If censoring one song means they can keep making money, they will.

    1. Re: Business as usual by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Companies are required to obey the law. Apple didn't make the law requiring certain terms and topics to be censored in China, but they are required to obey it, just like they are required to obey censorship laws in other countries, including America.

      It is not the job of western corporations to "fix" China. That is up to the Chinese.

  3. Re:Hypocrisy by Quakeulf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Left and right is a false dichotomy to drive divide-and-conquer so we fight each others instead of those who push this misdirection.

  4. It is the law of their country by aepervius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I am sure also apple music Germany is censoring selling pro nazi song sales. We may not like the law of *their* country, but apple has to respect local laws *where ever* it sells. It is pretty much so in every country that the law of the location of the buyer is the one which applies, not the law of the seller. If they don't want to respect the law of a country, the solution is simply : don't sell to anybody in that country. Many US outfit do that if you try to go to their site with an EU address they simply throw you out and say "GDPR we don't want you". Same principle.

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  5. More hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    So by this logic Apple should sell banned items in other countries. Like music that is pro nazi in Germany or songs that disparage the prophet in Turkey? I think the left and specially Gizmodo and notorious apple hate site are insane now.

  6. welcome to China by v1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This article can be summed up with "company respects sovereignty of a country, and I'm outraged!"

    Anyone doing business in China has to follow the laws, even if they don't align with the typical morals of the country where the business is based.

    "Obey our laws or get out of China." It's just that simple.

    TFA makes it sound like they have some magical 3rd choice and they're being evil for not "doing the right thing". It's pretty self-evident that they don't want to pack up and leave China, and removing a few songs from their store there (that are basically illegal to distribute in China) is a very small price to pay for them to stay in the market. Apple isn't above the law in China, they mow down large crowds of people trying to push this song's message, you don't think they will kick out Apple? This article is just trying to grab some headlines by reminding us that water is wet.

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    1. Re:welcome to China by fortythirteen · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There is nothing wrong with expecting ethics to outweigh profit. Is a shipowner who transports slaves considered innocent if they are moving them between countries that have legalized slavery, or are we rightfully outraged by the presence of a slave trader?

  7. Could always pull out of China by tepples · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google complied with Chinese law by ceasing to do business in China. I imagine that opponents of censorship would prefer that Apple follow suit.

  8. Google partnering with Chinese gov't too by drnb · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Google complied with Chinese law by ceasing to do business in China. I imagine that opponents of censorship would prefer that Apple follow suit.

    And then Google changed its mind and started making surveilance/censorship software for China. Google has also partnered with the Chinese government.