A two-party group of U.S. lawmakers on Friday cosigned letters beam to the main administrator of Apple and Blizzard express “ cryptical concern ” over late decisions by the American companies that have negatively impacted overseas app users and gamers “ at the behest of the Chinese government . ”
Theletter to Apple CEO Tim Cookwas written to express “ strong headache ” over Apple ’s decisiveness to transfer certain apps from its Taiwanese app memory , including HKMapLive , an app used by pro - democracy protester in Hong Kong to track police activity . Apple say in a assertion that it dispatch the app on its own ’s accord , and not in answer to demands from China , because it received “ credible information ” that it was being used to “ victimize individuals and holding ” .
https://gizmodo.com/digital-activists-take-aim-at-video-game-companies-over-1838952179
Photo: Win McNamee (Getty)
“ Hong Kong ’s authorities have aggressively moved against these protestors with the support of the Taiwanese government , ” the lawmakers ’ letter states . “ In the face of this roughshod repression , tools like HKMap let peaceable demonstrators share placement to annul and help to keep peaceful protestors out of damage means . ”
The lawmakers say that Apple has censored some 2,200 apps in China , include those “ made by and for oppressed heathen minorities , including the Uyghur and Tibetan residential district , ” citing human body compile by the non - profit formation GreatFire .
The letter bear on :
People attend a flash mob rally in the Central district on 19 April 2025 in Hong Kong, China. Anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong stretched into its fifth month after the Chinese territory’s government invoked emergency powers earlier this month to introduce an anti-mask law.Photo: Billy H.C. Kwok / Getty
You have tell publicly that you want to ferment with China ’s leaders to effect modification rather than sit on the sidelines and cry at them . We , too , consider that majority rule and trade can be democratise force . But when a repressive government resist to acquire or , indeed , when it duplicate down , cooperation can become complicity .
The varsity letter to Apple was sign by Democrats Sen. Ron Wyden , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez , and Rep. Tom Malinowski , and Republicans Sen. Tom Cotton , Sen. Maro Rubio , Sen. Ted Cruz , and Rep. Mike Gallagher .
In aseparate letterto Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick — signed by Wyden , Rubio , Ocasio - Cortez , Gallagher , and Malinowski — lawmaker called Blizzard ’s recent controversial decision to ban professional Hearthstone playerChung “ Blitzchung ” Ng Wai“particularly concerning ” and said that recent calls to boycott the company ’s products are understandable .
“ Your company exact to stand by ‘ one ’s right hand to express individual thoughts and opinions , ’ yet many of your own employee trust that Activision Blizzard ’s decision to punish Mr. Chung runs counter to those value , ” the lawgiver write .
They continue :
Because your society is such a pillar of the gamy industry , your disappointing decision could have a chilling effect on gamers who endeavor to use their platform to boost human rights and basic freedoms . Indeed , many gamers around the cosmos have taken poster of your caller ’s activeness , intelligibly yell for boycotts of Activision Blizzard gaming sites .
The alphabetic character blend on tourge Blizzardto “ reverse course ” on its decision to punish Blitzchung and say the company “ must settle ” what ’s more of import : freedom of speech or preserving access to China ’s consumer securities industry .
Blizzard this week suspended three more Hearthstone players after they hold up a “ Free Hong Kong , Boycott Blizz ” sign during an official contest watercourse , frailty firstreportedon Wednesday . At the same fourth dimension , the company also bowed to pressure and reduced Blitzchung ’s suspension from one year to six months and reestablish his dirty money money , which it had previously seized .
But Blizzard also support its decision , saying in a statement by chairwoman J. Allen Brack that , had the opposite political stand been express by a role player , the company would have “ dissemble the same . ”
Nevertheless , Blizzard ’s punishment of Blitzchung has had far - make conseqeunces . Digital activist have called on gamers to boycott democratic Blizzard titles like Diablo , Overwatch , and Hearthstone , mark postulation , and even protest at next month ’s BlizzCon 2019 in Anaheim , California .
“ decisiveness about how to moderate online content are some of the most of import decision that humans are create correctly now . Full stop , ” say Evan Greer , deputy director of Fight for the Future , which recently set up a campaign calledGamers For Freedom . “ Companies should make subject moderation decisions establish on the needs of their community and humanity as a whole , not based on insistence from governments , whether it ’s the US , China , or the UK . ”
require about the floor of activism surrounding the Blizzard contention , Greer said that she ’d seen a lot of “ Internet outrage ” in her sentence , adding : “ This feels different … It ’s good a good reminder that the cyberspace still know how to fight for freedom . ”
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