Apple Inc’s App Store reversed a decision to reject a Hong Kong app that shows police activity amid pro-democracy protests in the territory.
The app, known as HKmap.live, is a mobile version of a Web site that helps people avoid potentially dangerous areas, said its developer, who uses the alias Kuma to remain anonymous.
It was rejected from the App Store because it “facilitates, enables and encourages an activity that is not legal,” Apple told the developer, according to a copy of the rejection notice seen by Bloomberg News.
“Specifically, the app allowed users to evade law enforcement,” Apple wrote.
On Friday, Apple reversed the decision and the app has been approved for sale in Hong Kong.
“Apple finally made the right decision,” Kuma said.
The developer said the app is built to “show events happening” in Hong Kong, but what users choose to do with that information is their choice.
“We don’t encourage any advice on the map in general. Our ultimate goal is safety for everyone,” Kuma said.
On Twitter, the developer had argued that the rejection was unfair because other apps, such as Google’s Waze, help drivers avoid traffic cameras and police.
Apple is assuming that HKmap.live users are lawbreakers “and therefore evading law enforcement, which is clearly not the same,” the developer wrote.
By contrast, the app was approved for download on Android phones via a “quick process,” Kuma said.
The app was submitted to the App Store on Sept. 21. It was initially rejected on Sept. 26 for another reason related to rules on payment options and what additional functions apps can tap, the developer said.
After addressing those issues, the app was resubmitted and rejected again on Oct. 2 for helping users evade law enforcement, they said.
The app was submitted for review again later that day, they said.
Apple sells millions of iPhones in Hong Kong and China, and indirectly supports millions of jobs there.
However, it must also follow local laws, which have become increasingly tough when it comes to digital information.
In 2017, the company set up a data center in China to abide by laws that require global companies to store information within China’s borders. Apple also pulled some virtual private network apps from its App Store in China, limiting people’s ability to bypass a local Web firewall and access overseas sites.
“We would obviously rather not remove the apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law wherever we do business,” Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said at the time. “We strongly believe participating in markets and bringing benefits to customers is in the best interest of the folks there and in other countries as well.”
Apple could not immediately be reached for comment on the approval.
Reviewing app decisions several times is a common practice. According to Apple’s Web site, the company rejects 40 percent of the 100,000 apps considered each week. It has what is known as an App Review Board to evaluate rejections.
As part of its latest review of HKmap.live, Apple likely researched whether the software breached local laws. Apple typically examines such laws before making approval or rejection decisions on third-party apps.
The developer had hoped Apple would change its mind. They bought an iPhone and a Mac computer to build the app for the company’s platform.
“At least let me publish my app,” the developer said.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
Thousands of parents in Singapore are furious after a Cordlife Group Ltd (康盛人生集團), a major operator of cord blood banks in Asia, irreparably damaged their children’s samples through improper handling, with some now pursuing legal action. The ongoing case, one of the worst to hit the largely untested industry, has renewed concerns over companies marketing themselves to anxious parents with mostly unproven assurances. This has implications across the region, given Cordlife’s operations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. The parents paid for years to have their infants’ cord blood stored, with the understanding that the stem cells they contained