Apple and the company’s CEO Tim Cook have been in the news a lot lately, but first, as a reminder, let’s set the tone with Cook’s comments in 2017 about China:
Flashback!@Apple’s @tim_cook in 2017: “China has done an unbelievable job of lifting people out of poverty … far beyond what any country has done… we should all applaud that … And the environmental leadership today, is very clear & it aligns completely with Apple's values” pic.twitter.com/F1TW9PLVjU
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 30, 2022
It sure looks like a certain somebody was (and is) a huge fan of the ChiCom regime.
Fast forward to recent days during protests in China, and suddenly there were reports of a change in an Apple feature that happened to tie the hands of protesters:
Protests in China have attracted international attention as the greatest challenge of President Xi Jinping’s premiership and a major knock to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) longstanding authority.
But their spread within China was partially hobbled by a key change in Apple’s AirDrop feature, launched just weeks before the unrest.
AirDrop, which allows users to share content between Apple devices, has become an important tool in protestors’ efforts to circumvent authoritarian censorship regimes over recent years.
[…]
However, it was limited earlier this month, when a Nov. 9 update to Apple’s global operating system, iOS 16.1.1, included an additional AirDrop feature applying only to iPhones sold in mainland China.
Then, on Thursday, a Fox News reporter caught up with Cook. Naturally Apple’s CEO was more than willing to answer all her questions about protesters and the Chinese government’s attempts to put down dissent in that country, along with his company’s possible role in assisting the ChiCom gov’t:
🚨WATCH: Apple CEO Tim Cook ignores our questions on China as zero-COVID lockdown protests rage in the country. Full video 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/m0NpgRN6U4
— Hillary Vaughn (@hillary__vaughn) December 1, 2022
Wow, Cook did NOT want to go here:
Total radio silence from Apple's Tim Cook when confronted by Fox News reporter about aiding the CCP in its efforts to silence dissent. pic.twitter.com/oibEHT7ByK
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 1, 2022
When you’re unwilling to make even a bland statement in support of human rights around the world, there’s a huge problem.
Meanwhile, Twitter is the problem for allowing free speech. 🤦♂️🤡 https://t.co/0TSAyuT2hC
— Organic Oracle Outlaw (@OrganicOracle) December 1, 2022
Thank you @Apple and @tim_cook for the bravery to post a black square and lgbt flags on instagram, while actively working with a brutal dictatorship to crush dissent. https://t.co/M5TcvUGWf8
— a newsman (@a_newsman) December 1, 2022
CEO stands for Communist Enabling Overseer https://t.co/ndH3emzqXW
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) December 1, 2022
Unreal.
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Related:
Apple CEO’s 2017 praise of China ‘aged like milk on a summer sidewalk’
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