If you're new to AirPods, considering buying a pair, or just want to pick up some new tips.
AirPods and AirPower: Everything We Know
Apple Confirms Removing as Many as 25,000 Illegal Gambling-Related Apps From App Store in China
Apple today confirmed it has removed "many" illegal gambling apps, and developers distributing them, from its App Store in China.
The Wall Street Journal:
"Gambling apps are illegal and not allowed on the App Store in China," Apple said in a statement Monday. "We have already removed many apps and developers for trying to distribute illegal gambling apps on our App Store, and we are vigilant in our efforts to find these and stop them from being on the App Store."Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 25,000 apps have been removed as of Sunday—which would be less than two percent of the estimated 1.8 million apps on the App Store in the country—but Apple hasn't confirmed any numbers.
Apple began cracking down on gambling-related apps earlier this month, providing affected developers with the following explanation:
In order to reduce fraudulent activity on the App Store and comply with government requests to address illegal online gambling activity, we are no longer allowing gambling apps submitted by individual developers. The includes both real money gambling apps as well as apps that simulate a gambling experience.Apple notes that verified accounts from incorporated business entities may still submit gambling apps for distribution on the App Store.
As a result, this app has been removed from the App Store. While you can no longer distribute gambling apps from this account, you may continue to submit and distribute other types of apps to the App Store.
MacRumors reported on Apple's crackdown on gambling-related apps in the App Store earlier this month, noting that some apps that have been banned as a result appear to have very little to do with gambling at all. Most of the apps have been removed from the App Store not only in China, but around the world.
Apple's move follows the Chinese state media scrutinizing the company earlier this month for allowing illegal content like gambling apps and spam messages to be distributed freely through the App Store and iMessage. As for the latter, Apple is reportedly working with Chinese carriers to reduce iMessage spam.
This isn't the first time Apple has catered to Chinese government demands. Last July, for example, the company removed VPN apps from the App Store in China. Six months prior, Apple pulled the The New York Times app in China.
"We would rather not remove apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law where we do business," said Apple CEO Tim Cook last year.
All of this comes amid growing tensions between the United States and China over trade.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
[ 31 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
26 weeks ago
Apple: We are the silver knight of personal freedom. Buy our stuff and we'll do our best to protect your information from anyone trying to access it!
China: Hey, we'll have none of that or you're out of here!
Apple: Whops, right, sorry, we'll fix that immediately. Here: We give you a little "something" for that sweet company of yours Didi as compensation. Anything else we can do for ya?
Chine: Yes, remove gambling apps, we do not like gambling apps. Also, we do not like iMessages, it's encrypted, we can't read what people are talking about, fix that too.
Apple: Right you are, we'll get cracking immediately.
China: Hey, we'll have none of that or you're out of here!
Apple: Whops, right, sorry, we'll fix that immediately. Here: We give you a little "something" for that sweet company of yours Didi as compensation. Anything else we can do for ya?
Chine: Yes, remove gambling apps, we do not like gambling apps. Also, we do not like iMessages, it's encrypted, we can't read what people are talking about, fix that too.
Apple: Right you are, we'll get cracking immediately.
26 weeks ago
The issue with gambling is the addiction, where people put all their savings and even accrue loans to cover gambling debt. This has caused pain for relations and destroyed families, turning to crime to acquire more funds and in the worst cases suicide.
You are talking about severe cases.
This way, one could argue that alcohol, cigarettes, fizzy drinks, pharmaceutical drugs are also highly addictive and should be made illegal. How about stock market? Many people failed there and lost all.
When will they ban alcohol? When will cigarettes will be illegal? When will they ban a sale of pharma drugs? When will they knock down Wall Street and jail all their gamblers.
Btw, knife is a deadly weapon.
Do you have a kitchen? Do you cook?
If yes, you are a potential murderer :)
In simple understanding, you can find daft enough people abusing anything. Or get abused by anything.
26 weeks ago
I would see hiring a hitman being a crime but putting coins in the slot machines (or similar forms like we have Pachinko here, in Japan) is just a silly choice by people.
The issue with gambling is the addiction, where people put all their savings and even accrue loans to cover gambling debt. This has caused pain for relations and destroyed families, turning to crime to acquire more funds and in the worst cases suicide.
26 weeks ago
this is not so much anti-gambling, per se, but rather that the chinese government is attempting to be able to tax a higher percent of revenue from apps in general.
the statement from apple says: "we are no longer allowing gambling apps submitted by individual developers."
(bold emphasis added).
the statement from apple says: "we are no longer allowing gambling apps submitted by individual developers."
(bold emphasis added).
26 weeks ago
Also, we do not like iMessages, it's encrypted, we can't read what people are talking about, fix that too.
Apple: Right you are, we'll get cracking immediately.
It seems that crooks in China have figured out how to send spam through iMessage. And since it is encrypted, you can't detect it is spam until the user reads it. That's what the Chinese government doesn't like, and I personally don't like it either. So they are trying to figure out what is spam and what is not. Which is a bit difficult, since Apple can't read the messages until _your_ phone decrypts them.
26 weeks ago
Apple: We are the silver knight of personal freedom. Buy our stuff and we'll do our best to protect your information from anyone trying to access it!
Personal freedom != data privacy.
Apple has a stellar record on the latter, while the former, in regards to the App Store, has never been something they have claimed. Apple has curated the App Store since day 1, and limits content based on laws in every country. Most countries have laws which limit content that can legally be made available. Gambling is one of them in many places, not just China. Prohibiting online gambling is one of the least problematic things China has done. You or I may think it’s dumb (it’s probably actually beneficial given the dangers of gambling) but it’s hardly despotic. Now their policies on say political dissidents, THOSE are worth getting upset about.
26 weeks ago
In the case of gambling I don't mind. It's set up for people to lose money. Good riddance. Please do the same elsewhere as well.
It's sort of a more nefarious 'laserpointer for cats' but for humans.
It's sort of a more nefarious 'laserpointer for cats' but for humans.
26 weeks ago
What I don't get is... how did the gambling apps get approved into the appstore to begin with?
If a few slipped through I think it's OK, but thousands of them? Obviously app review process is not very good.
If a few slipped through I think it's OK, but thousands of them? Obviously app review process is not very good.
[ Read All Comments ]
Twitter today launched its Twitter Prototype Program and is accepting applications from people who want to beta test new Twitter features on iOS devices. Twitter's tests will be done through a...
Shazam, the song discovery app that's now owned by Apple, received a minor bug fix update last week, which, according to AppFigures, removes all third-party SDKs.
Shazam for iOS is no longer...
As of February 27, 2019, Apple is requiring that all Developer accounts with an Account Holder role be secured with two-factor authentication in order to ensure that only the account owner is able to...
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.2 update to its public beta testing group, one day after providing the beta to developers and a week after releasing the second tvOS 12.2...
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test...
Satechi has offered a few options for iMac stands over the past few years, allowing customers a chance to elevate their iMac for a more ergonomic workspace, and gain access to a limited number of...
British audio equipment maker Bowers & Wilkins is expected to release its first AirPlay 2-enabled receivers in the near future.
A pair of new Bowers & Wilkins receivers named...
Google's "Keep" app for taking notes and making lists today expanded to the Apple Watch, allowing the app's users to use the note taking and list making functionality right on their...
