The Censorship Crackdown: Apple’s Surrender to Beijing
Before June each year, content and media platforms in China anxiously anticipate a new round of censorship as the government tightens access to information in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. This annual ritual is a stark reminder of the delicate balance between free expression and state control in the world’s most populous country.
The Latest Victims: Pocket Casts and Castro Podcasts
This year, Chinese users lost access to two podcast apps – Pocket Casts and Castro Podcasts. Neither app is searchable within Apple’s Chinese App Store at the time of writing. The sudden disappearance of these popular platforms has left many in the podcasting community reeling.
The Reason for Removal: A Matter of Censorship
According to a tweet from Pocket Casts, the company was removed from the Chinese App Store by Apple at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s internet watchdog. When Pocket Casts asked for clarification, Apple’s app review team told the podcast firm to contact the CAC directly.
"We will most likely contact them to find out more," a spokesperson for Pocket Casts told TechCrunch. "Though we weren’t given that option to stop the app from being removed, only as a potential solution to have it re-instated."
The very small amount of warning given between there being a problem and their app being completely removed from the Chinese app store was quite alarming," they added.
Castro Podcasts: Support for the Protests
Castro Podcasts, which was bought by Dribbble owner Tiny in 2018, also took to Twitter to express its concerns. While it wasn’t given specifics about its removal in China, the incident might have been caused by its support of the protests.
"We think it might have been our support of the protests in the Discover tab," a spokesperson for Castro Podcasts told TechCrunch. "We were not given specifics."
The CAC and Censorship
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is responsible for regulating online content in China. The agency has a reputation for being extremely sensitive to any form of dissent or criticism against the government.
In recent years, the CAC has been cracking down on foreign podcast platforms that fail to comply with its censorship regulations. Apple’s Chinese-language podcast platform, which combines content hosting, distribution, and user listening, is seen as a prime target by Beijing.
Apple’s Surrender to Beijing
While domestic podcast platforms play by Beijing’s rules to self-censor, international platforms like Apple Podcast have been under increasing pressure from the CAC. The removal of Pocket Casts and Castro Podcasts is a stark reminder that even foreign companies with significant market share in China are not immune to the country’s censorship regime.
In fact, recent events suggest that Apple may be increasingly caving to Beijing’s pressure to stay in the market. In February, the firm removed the smash-hit Plague Inc., which was told it included ‘content that is illegal in China as determined by the CAC’.
A Pattern of Censorship
The removal of these popular podcast platforms is not an isolated incident. Last year around this time, Apple began weeding out Chinese shows that lacked government-approved hosting partners that moderated content.
At the time, many saw it as Apple’s surrender to Beijing’s censorship demands. The company’s decision to comply with China’s regulations was seen as a compromise between its commitment to free expression and its desire to maintain market share in the world’s most populous country.
The Impact on Free Expression
The removal of Pocket Casts and Castro Podcasts has significant implications for free expression in China. These platforms were not only popular among Chinese users but also provided a platform for independent voices to be heard.
The censorship crackdown is yet another reminder that the government is willing to go to great lengths to suppress dissenting opinions and maintain its grip on power.
Conclusion
As the world’s most populous country continues to grapple with the delicate balance between free expression and state control, one thing is clear: the removal of Pocket Casts and Castro Podcasts is a stark reminder that even foreign companies are not immune to China’s censorship regime.
The future of free expression in China hangs in the balance. As the world watches, it remains to be seen whether Apple will continue to comply with Beijing’s demands or take a stand for its commitment to free expression.
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