An app that tracks police and protests in Hong Kong has been banned — and its creator wants to know why.
HKMap Live crowdsources information — locations of police and ambulance presence, tear gas, water cannons, illegal protests, etc. — from users in real time to help Hong Kong residents navigate a city fraught with conflict.
The app's web version attracted more than 13,000 users when it launched on Aug. 4, and has since then accumulated almost 40,000 subscribers on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app that has been central to the movement's organizers.
Its “ultimate goal is safety for everyone,” the app’s administrator and creator, who for safety reasons goes by Kuma, told Mashable via Telegram.
Since the protests began in June in response to the extradition bill, police have arrested at least 2,000 people and have fired more than 3,000 rounds of tear gas, the New York Times reported. Allegations of police misconduct have also surfaced in light of several incidences of violence, including the police shooting of an 18-year-old protester on Tuesday.
Apple, however, rejected HKMap Live on Oct. 1 on the basis that it "contains content — or facilitates, enables and encourages and activity — that is not legal … specifically the app allowed users to evade law enforcement.”
Apple has not yet responded to Mashable’s request for comment.
Kuma said he created the app to disseminate information and does not encourage illegal activities. Rather, he said the alerts will help people avoid illegal protests and comply with law enforcement’s wishes.
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He added that similar apps have existed on the App Store for much longer.
“I mean, Waze is on App Store. They report traffic cams and police since, I don’t know, 10 years ago?” Kuma told Mashable, referring to the navigation app that includes a police locator feature. “But the account is new, [which] might trigger strict review. [We’ll] give [Apple] the benefit of doubt on this.”
He said Apple is now reconsidering the app. Kuma told Mashable he believes Apple’s initial rejection wasn’t politically motivated. But he is “not sure how to interpret the delay” after his appeal.
Techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci is also skeptical:
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On average, 90 percent of apps submitted to Apple are reviewed within 48 hours. Kuma said he first submitted the app to Apple for review on Sept. 21 and the app was rejected on Oct. 1, when Kuma submitted his appeal.
By contrast, Kuma said Google reviewed and approved the app for Android users “within a day or two.”
While the app isn't in the App Store, it is available to Apple users as a Progressive Web App through Safari.
