Tim Cook defends decision to remove Hong Kong Maps app in memo

Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook defended the company’s decision to remove a mapping app in Hong Kong, saying on Thursday that the company received “credible information” from authorities indicating the software was being used “maliciously” to attack police.

Apple pulled HKmap.live from its App Store on Wednesday after flip-flopping between rejecting it and approving it earlier this month. Apple made the decision after consulting with local authorities, because it could endanger law enforcement and city residents. Cook echoed that sentiment in an email to Apple employees.

I’ve never said this about a Tim Cook missive but what a load of crap. Apple is between a rock and a hard place on this and, as I said to Jim Dalrymple on last night’s Your Mac Life podcast, it’s a position they’ve put themselves in and I have no sympathy for the company on this issue. They deserve all the flack they are getting – from both sides.