AppleInsider:
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.
The move has led to members of the U.S. Congress to criticize Apple for its role in the government-led crackdown.
Apple’s need for Chinese approval lends itself to easy criticism when it does things like this.
This is hypocrisy.
Apple has to abide by the law of that country.
Unlike in the USA, where corporations can cajole politicians freely, in China things are different.
Now, isn´t this less serious than the harassing of Iran by the current USA administration, or the Saudi free ride on killing with the USA help?
If you go around championing free speech, declaring it a human right and bash over the head US states for their apparent lack of it, expect criticism when your actions lead to the exact opposite.
the benevolent multi-national corporation bows to the Chinese autocrats in search of profit. Pathetic.
Tim Cook, pathetic. I don’t
want to hear any of this crap about operating within the laws of a country. don’t
do business there.
Get your head out of the sand, that’s the hypocrisy
Indeed!
They are not bothered in giving the Saudis Nuclear weapon.
Nuclear weapon!
It’s an easy criticism for Congress to make without having to address genuine policy issues. I’ll bet the Republicans quoted in the article got lots of headlines touting their heartfelt concern for “human rights.”
Doesn’t apple also censor song lyrics on Beats 1 (e.g. play the censored version without f***s) ? That won’t get criticized in the U.S., but it sure looks like (voluntary but political) censorship from the outside.
The key point of this issue is the last sentence of the article:
“Apple’s defense for what could be considered highly censorious practices is its insistence the company operates in line with local laws.”
This is Business 101. You follow the laws of the country in which you’re doing business. How can anyone—Congress included—ignore the fact that Apple has a huge vested interest in maintaining friendly relations with China!
If it’s anyone’s job to fight Chinese censorship, it’s Congress! Quit trying to pass the buck, you idiots (addressed to Congress)!!
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.
Understandable, but … what do they think Apple should be doing?
“Not doing any business in China”?
Because that’s what happens when you don’t follow Chinese laws, and AFAIK the demands here … have the force of law.
If lawmakers want US companies to not do business in China, they can pass laws to make that happen*, rather than grandstanding.
Oh, who am I kidding? Congress exists to grandstand and not do things, especially when those things have actual side effects Congress might be held to account for.
(* Much as with the Cuban embargo, while I support opposing totalitarian governments of any stripe, I’m not sure that such a move is productive of useful ends or actually promotes open government or democratic ideals.)
In what universe has anyone given Saudi Arabia nuclear weapons?
Sure, why not? That’s just another way to misdirect people from noticing how our own Government is trying to destroy the nation from the inside at the behest of foreign powers.
I remember visiting the top journalism school in China that is in Shanghai. It sits adjacent to studios for one of the major networks in the country. When I went in to be part of an interview of a person who has a very popular nation-wide TV show, I had to hand over my passport at the front desk. When we got back to our hotel, we asked our guide why we needed to hand over our passports. He told us that it was because they were afraid we might run into one of the TV studios while they were live so we could shout anti-government slogans.
Sure, as if. I’m gonna fly to China and burst onto one of their national network shows while it’s live and give them all the evidence they need to throw me in jail for a very long time. I was nervous enough just visiting China as an educator (let alone as a journalist). Every single minute I was in that Communist dictatorship. If they think anyone in their right mind would do such a stupid thing, that tells you more about China than any potential dissidents.