Malcolm Owen
Apple's decision to pull songs from its Apple Music service in China by pro-democracy musicians has come under fire from US lawmakers, suggesting Apple should not be taking part in what amounts to censorship by the Chinese government.
On Tuesday, it was reported Apple had removed a song called "Ren Jian Dao" from Apple Music in China that referenced the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. A cover of the song, translated as "Path of Man," was also taken down from Tencent's QQ Music service, with the takedowns considered an indication the government was cracking down on pro-democracy media.
Songs by other pro-democracy artists were also hit, with artist listings and discographies scrubbed completely from Apple's servers in some cases.
It is believed the takedowns were part of the Chinese government's attempts to prevent public demonstrations ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in June, and is likely to continue with other works being proactively censored.
The move has led to members of the U.S. Congress to criticize Apple for its role in the government-led crackdown. Speaking to The Verge, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) declared "It's disgraceful to see one of America's most innovative, influential tech companies support the Communist Chinese government's aggressive censorship efforts within China" ahead of the anniversary.
China's government is described by Rubio as a regime that had "constructed a totalitarian state through truly Orwellian levels of mass surveillance, thought censorship, and human rights abuses." Apple had "turned a blind eye to complicity" to retain access to the market, the senator continued.
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) chastised Apple for failing to "be a stronger voice for freedom around the globe," as well as retweeting comments from a human rights group that works to remember victims of communist regime activities.
A similar complaint was made by Representative Greg Walden (R-OR) who called the news troubling. "When reports like this surface we need to ask serious questions to ensure human rights are being protected," said Walden, "and if these reports are true, Apple owes the public an explanation."
Citing the First Amendment's value to US citizens, Representative Bob Latta (R-OH) expressed concern Apple "would acquiesce to demands made by Chinese officials to censor pro-democracy music. We should expect better from these companies, and Apple should address these claims."
The comments from US lawmakers follow similar complaints by critics, including Human Rights Watch's China Director Sophie Richardson calling the decision "spectacularly craven, even by [Apple and Tim Cook's] standards."
Apple has received accusations of abiding by the whims of the Chinese government, which has led to a number of instances in the past where Apple was forced to remove or take down items following government demands.
The list includes the removal of the official New York Times app from the App Store in late 2016, as well as a 2017 request to take down virtual private network (VPN) apps capable of bypassing the "Great Firewall." Apple has also come under fire for opening its first data center in China in 2016, to comply with the country's cybersecurity rules, and in March, disabled an emoji of Taiwan's flag on Chinese Macs running macOS 14.14.1.
Apple's defence for what could be considered highly censorious practices is its insistence the company operates in line with local laws.
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
Andrew O'Hara
Mike Wuerthele and Malcolm Owen
31 Comments
Easy for therm to be critical. They aren't the ones responsible to shareholders. They aren't the ones trying to keep Apple profitable in China. They don't have the facts or access to the information, and threats, they got from the Chinese Government. It's easy to grandstand when it isn't your @$$ on the line.
We have laws that companies are required to follow even if the laws are different where they are from. Inciting riots with speech or media is one of those. China is no different. They prohibit media that attacks their way of life. What’s interesting is we tend to focus more on other countries deeds that correcting the atrocities happening everyday right here.
If US lawmakers want to send a message to China about human rights and censorship THEY should do something about it. They are just a bunch of gutless do-nothings trying to use Apple as a tool to do a job that THEY should be doing themselves. Apple is a business that has to play by the rules imposed in the countries that it operates within. Apple does not make the rules, it only follows the rules, rules imposed by the lawmakers in the countries that it operates within. If US lawmakers don't like China's rules, it up to them to negotiate new rules with China's lawmakers, rather than looking to a business to do what they are too lame and inept to do themselves. What a waste of taxpayer money to allow these congressional spectators and masters of inaction to get paid real money for doing absolutely nothing and looking like fools while doing it.
Could the politicians listed be trying to cover for their own autocratic cheerleading in the U.S.? There do seem to be some human rights issues very close to home that they could be weighing in on too.
Like old saying about Rome; when in China, do as the Chinese do!!