US Software companies comply with international law, to their great regret
This week has been very heavy on China-related software scandals:
- Adobe deletes accounts from Venezuela due to US exports law (1 min, via)
- After a 'South Park' Censorship Episode, China Deleted the Entire Show From the Web (5 min, via)
- Blizzard bans Hearthstone Grandmasters winner and forfeits their prize due to Hong Kong statements (1 min, via)
On Apple's side, as usual, ther has been more media coverage:
- Apple Hides Taiwan Flag in Hong Kong (2 min, via)
- China state newspaper criticizes Apple for app use by Hong Kong protesters (1 min, via)
- Apple Removes HKmap.live from the App Store (1 min, via), and
- Tim Cook write a company-wide memo with the Company's official stance (1 min)
US companies and entities are forced to apply international law, sometimes breaking universal human rights.
This is a difficult topic. On one hand, States are sovereign. On the other, we should push for a better world. However, to which degree has a private company the right to ignore state rulings? They can, and suffer the consequences. That would be consistent. Are they ready to boycott a whole country, or risk a banishment from that country?
As an individual, the take home message is that if you delegate some of your tasks to a private company, or you rely on a private company in some degree, you risk being unable to access your data or virtual possessions at any time. Be it due to international law, or to some stupid enforcement or terms-of-service bullshit.
Please follow the HN discussions on the "via" links above, they are very informative.