Apple Pulls New York Times App From China Store
Withdrawal of both the English- and Chinese-language apps further curtails access to the Times in China
By
TRIPP MICKLE and LUKAS I. ALPERT
Apple Inc. has removed the New York Times from its app store in China, following a request from Chinese authorities.
The withdrawal of both the English- and Chinese-language apps further curtails access to the Times in China. New York Times Co.'s websites have been blocked in the country's mainland since 2012, following its publication of a report detailing the wealth of China's top leadership and their families.
Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said the Times app hasn't been permitted to display to China users "for some time" because Apple was informed the app was in violation of local regulations. He declined to comment on those rules but said Apple would make the app available in its store when "this situation changes."
The Cyberspace Administration of China, the main regulator, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Times has asked Apple to reconsider its decision, company spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said. "The request by the Chinese authorities to remove our apps is part of their wider attempt to prevent readers in China from accessing independent news coverage by the New York Times of that country—coverage which is no different from the journalism we do about every other country in the world, including the United States."
The Times earlier reported news of Apple withdrawing the apps.
China has a long history of banning digital sites and companies that it believes are spreading rumors, promoting illegal services like drug peddling or harming national security.
Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google don't operate in China. In 2014, LinkedIn launched a Chinese-language service after agreeing it would censor sensitive content at the government's request, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner said at the time.
Western news organizations have battled similar issues in China. Outlets like Bloomberg LP, Reuters and the Guardian have had access to their websites cut off in China, and The Wall Street Journal's Chinese-language site has been blocked since 2014.
As a provider of news and social networking apps and games, Apple's app store has faced considerable pressure in China.
In 2013, Apple was included in a list of websites and app stores investigated for providing pornographic content in China, according to the People's Daily. Results of the investigation aren't known.
Last year, China shut down Apple's online book and movie services for failing to comply with local regulations. Apple and Chinese regulators didn't explain why at the time. The removal of Apple's books and movie services still hasn't been explained publicly, either by the government or by Apple.
Greater China, which also includes sales from Taiwan and Hong Kong, is Apple's third-biggest market by sales behind the U.S. and Europe. The company has looked to complement rising iPhone sales in China with sales of services such as apps, Apple Music and Apple Pay.
I guess that's life. Nothning really wrong there. Same happens when people don't get along, you don't expect cooperation there either.
These two countries are competing. Your soon to be leader has a policy of make everything in America, thats a good idea. China's agenda is no different.
From: "David Smith david.smith.14916@gmail.com [iPad]" <iPad@yahoogroups.com>
To: iPad@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 5 January 2017 11:45 AM
Subject: [iPad] China: heads up
From an article in the December Atlantic by James Fallows, on what he sees as a worrisome political screw tightening in China:
This spring, the Chinese government blocked Apple's iTunes movie and iBooks services and apps in China. Soon thereafter, Apple reported its first global revenue decline in 13 years, in part due to plummeting income from China, and saw its market capitalization drop by $40 billion. The Chinese government's motive in cracking down on Apple was probably political rather than crudely commercial. As an analysis in Variety pointed out, the rising popularity of streaming video on iPhones and other devices made the Apple sites important portholes for movies, documentaries, and other material from the outside world. But regardless of rationale, the effect was to damage Apple relative to its Chinese competitors (notably a smartphone company called Xiaomi), much as the politically motivated crackdown on Google damaged it relative to its main Chinese rival, Baidu.
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Posted by: David Smith <david.smith.14916@gmail.com>
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