A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers condemned Apple’s decision to pull an app that lets Hong Kong protesters see police locations.
The group urged CEO Tim Cook to illustrate Apple “puts values above market access.”
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio joined forces with four other lawmakers in sending the letter to Cook regarding Apple’s censorship of more than 2,200 apps in China, including HKMap.live, which uses crowdsourced information to show users the location of police, water cannons, and incoming tear gas, among other information.
The company removed HKMap.live from its app store this month, saying it violated Apple’s guidelines and Hong Kong laws because it was used to target police. The decision came a day after Chinese state media lambasted Apple for making HKMap.live available.
“You have said publicly that you want to work with China’s leaders to effect change rather than sit on the sidelines and yell at them,” the lawmakers told Cook. “We, too, believe that diplomacy and trade can be democratizing forces. But when a repressive government refuses to evolve or, indeed, when it doubles down, cooperation can become complicity.”
The seven Republicans and Democrats, serving in the House and Senate, said they were disappointed to learn about the removal of HKMap.live, particularly after Cook last year said Apple is “not afraid to say that our values drive our curation decisions.”
“For those of us who support the promotion of basic human rights and dignity, it was refreshing to hear a tech titan say that priorities were more important than profits,” they said.
The lawmakers warned that China has become increasingly aggressive in its efforts to control U.S. companies, including Apple, the NBA, and Blizzard Entertainment. The NBA was shunned by Chinese entities after Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for the Hong Kong protesters, and Blizzard, a video game developer, punished a professional gamer who said during a tournament, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age.”
The company, however, lessened its punishment of the gamer, Ng Wai Chung, who goes by Blitzchung, after receiving widespread condemnation.
Citing the incidents involving Apple, the NBA, and Blizzard, the seven lawmakers said they “raise real concern about whether Apple and other large U.S. corporate entities will bow to growing Chinese demands rather than lose access to more than a billion Chinese consumers.”
“In promoting values, as in most things, actions matter far more than words,” they said. “Apple’s decisions last week to accommodate the Chinese government by taking down HKMaps is deeply concerning.”
They urged Cook to make HKMap.live available and “stand with the brave men and women fighting for basic rights and dignity in Hong Kong.”
In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, Cruz, and Rubio, the other signatories of the letter were Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Reps. Mike Gallagher and Tom Malinowski.
