Close ad

Tim Cook reacts to the recent HKmap.live removal and Apple's move, criticized by many, is defended in a message to employees. In it, he said, among other things, that his decision was based on credible information from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Authority, as well as from Hong Kong users.

In his announcement, Cook notes that this kind of decision is never easy to make — especially at a time when heated public debate is raging. According to Cook, the information the deleted app provided was in itself harmless. However, since the application indicated the location of protests and police units, there was a risk that this information would be misused for illegal activity.

“It's no secret that technology can be used for both good and bad purposes, and this case is no exception. The aforementioned application allowed mass reporting and mapping of police checkpoints, protest sites and other information. By itself, this information is harmless,Cook writes to staff.

The director of Apple also added that he recently received credible information from the aforementioned authority that the application is being misused so that some people can use it to search for and attack lone police officers, or to commit crimes in places that are not policed. . It was this abuse that put the app outside of Hong Kong law, as well as making it software that violates the App Store's regulations.

The removal of the monitoring app was not well received by the public, so it can be expected that many people will not find much understanding of Cook's explanation either. According to Cook, however, the App Store should primarily be a "safe and trustworthy place", and he himself wants to protect users with his decision.

Tim Cook explains China

Source: Bloomberg

.