SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Wednesday removed an app that protesters in Hong Kong have used to track police movements, saying the app violated its rules because it was used to ambush police and by criminals who used it to victimize residents in areas with no law enforcement.
Apple rejected the crowdsourcing app, HKmap.live, earlier this month but then reversed course last week, allowing the app to appear on its App Store. The approval drew a sharply worded commentary criticizing Apple in the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily.
Apple said in a statement that “many concerned customers in Hong Kong” contacted the company about the mapping app. Apple said it immediately began investigating the app’s use and found it “has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong.”
“The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement,” the statement said.
Under Apple’s rules and policies, apps that meet its standards to appear in the App Store have sometimes been removed after their release if they were found to facilitate illegal activity or threaten public safety.
In 2011, Apple modified its app store to remove apps that listed locations for drunken driving checkpoints not previously published by law enforcement officials.
Apple removes police-tracking app used in Hong Kong protests from its app store
Apple removes police-tracking app used in Hong Kong protests from its app store
- Crowdsourcing app HKmap.live violated rules because it was used to ambush police and by criminals
- Apple: ‘Many concerned customers in Hong Kong’ contacted the company about the mapping app
Spotify and Dubai Culture sign MoU to support local talent development
DUBAI: Spotify and the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month aimed at supporting the growth of local musical talent.
The partnership will include the sharing of insights, data and analytics, as well as practical support to help UAE-based artists sustain and progress their careers, the organizations said.
As part of the MoU, Spotify and Dubai Culture will launch joint programs and develop a series of music-led projects focused on the emirate’s creative community.
Talent development is a core pillar of Dubai Culture’s work, said Her Excellency Hala Badri, director-general of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
She added: “In the music sector, this translates into sustained support that enables musicians to develop, produce, and continue their practice over time. The agreement with Spotify is part of our broader efforts to support artists and creatives at all career stages and to strengthen the professional foundations of the music sector in Dubai.”
For Spotify, the MoU is in line with existing initiatives such as the RADAR Arabia program and the Fresh Finds Arabia playlist, which highlight and support local emerging talent.
As a global hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, Dubai is playing an increasingly important role in the region’s music economy, said Gustav Gyllenhammar, senior vice president of markets and subscriptions at Spotify.
Through the collaboration with Dubai Culture, he added, Spotify is “helping build a stronger local music ecosystem, supporting discovery and helping music coming out of Dubai reach listeners around the world.”
