China blocks Dalai Lama iPhone Apps from sale

Jonny Evans

December 30, 2009

iPhone - iPod

Apple has seemingly bowed to Chinese government pressure, removing iPhone apps relating to the Dalai Lama and Rebiya Kadeer, the latter an exiled leader of China's Uighur minority group, from sale through the Chinese version of the App Store.

"We continue to comply with local laws," Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told IDG News Service when asked about the missing apps. "Not all apps are available in every country."

A selection of Apps relating to both men are available in most countries’ versions of the App Store. IDG has identified at least five Dalai Lama-related Apps, including: Dalai Quotes, Dalai Lama Quotes and Dalai Lama Prayerwheel, all of which offer inspirational quotes from the highly-respected Tibetan spiritual leader.

Other apps, including one which details Nobel Prize winners and another which explains where the Dalai Lama is preaching have also been made unavailable for sale in China.

Chinese leaders condemn the Dalai Lama, complaining he wants to separate Tibet - which China annexed in a bloody battle in 1959 - from China.

An iPhone app named 10 Conditions, based on a documentary about Kadeer’s life, is also unavailable via the Chinese App Store.

James Sugrue, who designed the Dalai Quotes app, told IDG: "Apple reserves the right to do this sort of thing, and while from a censorship point of view I disagree with this, I can understand why they did.”

Chinese authorities in 2008 blocked Apple’s iTunes service in China when it began selling a collection of songs about Tibet.

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Comments (14)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 4:33am

This is essentially what makes a closed system as the appstore scary. By creating technology that can be controlled it is automatically receptive to powers of abuse. The same way we all become dependend on our mediaclouds like youtube. Software is developed to automatically scan for songs to be removed in order to instill copyright protection, these same techniques can be used to remove unwanted speeches from the Dalai Lama. I say feedom for all. Making sure no one in particular can block our free speech. Let people that wnt to be safe get their software from the appstore. But leave room open for alternatives.

Woody | December 30, 2009 - 11:08am

...but first you'll need to convince countries like China that there *is* such a thing as free speech.

sinouber (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 5:25am

I don't think the app would sell anyway. Most PRC Han Chinese think that the whole free tibet movement was started by US intelligence officers to undermine any far left western support of a the chinese government. Therefore they are not at all sympathetic and probably would not buy the app since they are the only group that could actually afford legit iphones.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 6:43am

It would be interesting to find out if your theory is correct, too bad it's against the law to know for sure...

sinouber (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 3:17pm

what law? the law of popular opinion?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalai_Lama#Introduction_of_the_Dalai_Lama_i...

2nd paragraph

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 6:44am

The Nobel app should be banned everywhere just because of the farce the Nobel committee has become.

Nonoche (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 6:52am

A selection of Apps relating to both men are available in most countries’ versions of the App Store.

Both men? Rebiya Kadeer is a woman, living in exile in the USA.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 7:32am

what do you expect, China is a corrupt dictatorship, they kill students for protesting, they kill 'suspected criminals' without trials, they ban what they don't like and forge everything else.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 7:32am

what do you expect, China is a corrupt dictatorship, they kill students for protesting, they kill 'suspected criminals' without trials, they ban what they don't like and forge everything else.

ikir (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 8:30am

It is so sad, i can't blame Apple itself, the problem is Chine and its laws. Still sad.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 4:54pm

Of course you can blame Apple, who said you can't? Just because you like their products? They just cut the freedom of such things, because they want to sell more of their products in China. If more people in the west than people buying their things in China would boycott them because of removing it, boy they would be fast in bringing it back again. That's it. There is no mystery in it. Apple is not foreced by china to remove it.

blogger (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 7:57pm

well i think companies have to do what the local authorities say..they can't pressurise government to that extent...google apple or whatever comes if they want to remain in chinese business they have to do what they are asked for,.

acai berry (not verified) | December 30, 2009 - 11:36pm

Hi,

I heard that Google has been criticized for offering a censored version of its search engine for China at Google.cn, which blocks pornographic and some politically sensitive search results. Google has similarly said it must follow local laws and regulations.

emil77 (not verified) | January 03, 2010 - 6:36am

why not begin a boycott campaign against apple and google for their marketing strategy in china?