Safari, the web browser used by Apple, has some filters in place to prevent users from accessing certain websites. The censorship is managed by the Chinese company Tencent, and it appears that this will be the case for users in Hong Kong as well.
Websites Being Blocked in HK
Users who use Safari in Hong Kong are receiving error messages when they try to visit certain websites, stating that the website they're visiting is blocked for safety reasons. No further explanations were provided as to why that was the case.
GitLab, which is an online platform for open-source code, was no longer accessible on December 30th. The block was spotted by software engineer Chu La-Cheong, who was also a former employee of Apple, according to 9To5Mac.
The web browser indicated that the website was blocked due to it having unverified information. The website became available again after a few days, following a report that was sent to the company. Neither Tencent nor Apple explained why it was banned.
This calls into question whether Hong Kong will also experience the same level of privacy, or lack thereof, that users in China are going through. This contradicts Apple's selling point, which is how they take privacy and data security very seriously.
For now, it is still unknown how many websites are banned, or if they will become accessible again as GitLab did. Although, this wasn't the first time that Apple complied with censorship demanded by certain countries.
App Censorship
Just a little over a month ago, Apple was also the center of a controversy involving app censorship. Reports say that Apple was willing to comply with authoritarian demands in order to stay in the country's market.
The iPhone manufacturers were said to have censored leading apps in Hong Kong and Russia to maintain a good relationship with the country, which include those that fall under the LGBTQ+ category and apps that relate to VPN, according to Digital Information World.
The new system in Apple's App Store in Russia forcefully removed around 25 LGBTQ+ apps, more or less 30 VPN apps, and apps linked to foreign media and news. Although, this was all before Apple left the Russian market following its attack on Ukraine.
It was found that there were also certain limitations to the App Store in Hong Kong. Although it's not as strict as the App Store in Russia, there are apps that were banned that appeared to be available in 173 App Stores in other countries.
More than 50 VPN and private browsing apps were unavailable in the country's App Store in November 2022. Apps that were related to media and information were also removed globally in the last two years, according to Apple Censorship.
Benjamin Ismail, the director of the Apple Censorship project, Apple should be clear about the actions it will or will not take, and that they need to ensure that Apple will not be a part of the movement toward censorship and erosion of democracy worldwide.
