Believe it or not, there are some battles even the mighty tech giant Apple can’t win. In China, it’s Apple vs censorship. It seems like censorship is winning in China.
Apple has disabled it’s news app in China. It’s believed regulations regarding strict online rules is the reason. The Apple News App is already available in the US, and being tested and promoted in international markets. It’s currently being tested in Great Britain and Australia. But Great Britain and Australia don’t have the intense government rules China has. That’s why Apple News App doesn’t work in China. When Apple users in China try to utilize the news app, all they get for their troubles is the following message: Can’t refresh right now. News isn’t supported in your current region. This could be a problem because China is Apple’s second biggest market. That nation made Apple $13 billion in Q3 2015 alone. But Chinese government leaders in Beijing pass the censorship blame to foreign companies. When the fact of the matter is, Chinese companies use software and employees to get rid of articles deemed sensitive or inappropriate. But rather than follow other Chinese media and technology companies, Apple decided to cut off the app altogether. As expected, Apple leaders and spokespersons aren’t commenting.
One of the most powerful companies in the world can’t break censorship in one of the most censored nations in the world. If China wants to remain one of the biggest economic powerhouses in the world, then it needs to loosen it’s grip on censorship. And then they want to blame private corporations. Maybe if Beijing loosened their laws, then these private companies wouldn’t have to bend over backward to accommodate such rules and regulations. Look at China’s record when it comes to issues like the environment and human rights. What does the Chinese government have to hide?