Anti-government demonstrators in Hong Kong.
Vernon Yuen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Apple has removed HKmap.live, a mapping app that crowdsources the location of police and protestors in Hong Kong, from the App Store, saying it violated the store’s guidelines and local laws by allowing protestors in Hong Kong to ambush police and threaten public safety. The move comes after Apple was criticized by a Chinese state media on Tuesday for allowing the app.
Apple said it removed the app after learning it has been used in ways that put law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong in danger.
“Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it,” Apple said in a statement. “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. This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.”