By: Scott Neuman
October 10, 2019
Apple has removed from its App Store a smartphone app used by Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to crowdsource the location of protesters and police, after Chinese state media suggested the tech giant was aiding “rioters.”
Apple initially rejected the app last week, saying that it “encourages an activity that is not legal,” and allows users to “evade law enforcement,” according to its developers.
Nonetheless, HKmap.live did briefly become available in the App Store before Apple announced Wednesday that it was being removed.
“We have learned that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong,” Apple said in a statement. “Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it.”
The app, it said, “has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement.”