China's Strict Web Censorship Disables 'Apple News App'
Don't count China to support everything that Apple Inc. has to offer. Recently, it failed to support the tech giant's Apple News app despite being the company's second-largest market.
According to the New York Times, the said app has been banned in China, but those who have downloaded it can access it from other regions. In China, however, consumers who attempt to open the said app will be greeted with a message saying "Can't refresh right now. News isn't supported in your current region."
However, in Beijing, the public was reminded that it is the company's responsibility to restrict what they put on their news feed and should never touch sensitive topics pertaining the issues in China. In Apple's case, they chose to restrict everything else until such time they can figure out how to filter their news.
Some users addressed the issue, citing how they were restricted from accessing news that they have apparently obtained by purchasing online.
Arstechnica reported that Apple is not the first tech company that has been the victim to China's strict web censorship.
In 2010, Google gave up the battle after search results from their website prompted users to Hong Kong's Google site. To this date, Google is still offering their services in China, but with less enthusiasm because of the country's web censorship rules. Even China's homegrown microblogging website, Weibo, has succumbed to China's strict rules on web censorship.
In a post by Larry Salibra, founder of Pay4Bugs, he said, "I've used Apple News for months in Hong Kong and really enjoy am addicted to using it to keep up with my favorite publications." The question he has, however, lies on what's going to happen if Apple finally decides to discontinue the service in China.
He also added, "As someone who has run a business in China for the better part of a decade, Apple's increasing sales, marketshare and dependence on China for growth gives me mixed feelings. The larger Apple gets in China, the more power and leverage the Chinese government has over the company."
The Apple News app has been primarily featured for its U.S. clients but has since been available in other regions. More importantly, as Larry Salibra said, he was able to access the app in Hong Kong until it was finally discontinued by the company. He also cited the absence of Apple's Beats 1 music feature that runs a 24-hour radio broadcast that features very minimal — if none at all — issues in China.
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