Apple—Removed HKmap.live app tracking police movements during Hong Kong protests after Chinese state media criticism
On October 9, 2019, Apple removed HKmap.live from the App Store, an app that crowdsourced real-time police locations during Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. Apple initially approved the app, then removed it after China Daily (state media) published an editorial accusing Apple of 'facilitating illegal behavior' and threatening consequences. Apple claimed the app was used to 'ambush police,' a claim protest organizers disputed, noting it was used for safety. The removal was widely seen as capitulation to Beijing.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian Compliance | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Democratic Institutions | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Press Freedom | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.443 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (1 signal)
Apple removed HKmap.live app on October 10, 2019 after Chinese state media criticism
On October 10, 2019, Apple removed HKmap.live from the App Store after Chinese state media (People's Daily, China Daily) criticized Apple for 'facilitating illegal behavior' and asked 'Is Apple guiding Hong Kong thugs?' The app crowdsourced real-time police locations during pro-democracy protests. Apple claimed it was 'used to target and ambush police' based on Hong Kong Police Force information. The developer disputed this, saying there was no evidence. U.S. bipartisan lawmakers (Wyden, Cotton, Rubio, Cruz, Ocasio-Cortez, Gallagher, Malinowski) condemned Apple's decision as 'deeply concerning' and urged Apple to 'reverse course' and 'stand with the brave men and women fighting for basic rights.'