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Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Brands Apple a Putin Accomplice

Charlotte Henry ·

Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny (pictured above) has hit out and Apple and Google. He called them “accomplices” of the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin’s regime, AppleInsider reported. It follows the recent removal of a tactical voting app from the App Store and Google Play store.

In a long series of tweets, Navalny accused Big Tech firms of capitulating. “The giants Apple and Google have complied with the Kremlin’s demands and removed our app from their stores,” he wrote. “My beloved YouTube has deleted our video, and the Telegram messenger has blocked our bot.” “I know that most of those who work at Google, Apple, etc. are honest and good people,” he continued. “I urge them not to put up with the cowardice of their bosses.”

[Image credit: Jonas Petrovas / Shutterstock.com]

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Apple Once Threatened to Remove Facebook From App Store Over Human Trafficking

Andrew Orr ·

On Friday a report claims that Apple once threatened to remove Facebook from the App Store in 2019. The cause was human trafficking. (Original, paywalled report here).

The BBC published a sweeping undercover investigation of the practice, prompting Apple to threaten to remove Facebook from its store, the paper said.

An internal memo found that Facebook was aware of the practice even before then: A Facebook researcher wrote in a report dated 2019, “was this issue known to Facebook before BBC inquiry and Apple escalation?,” per the Journal.

Do the right thing, Apple: Remove Facebook.

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It’s Easy for Minors to Bypass App Store Age Restrictions

Andrew Orr ·

On Wednesday, the Campaign for Accountability published a report that shows how easy it is for minors to bypass App Store age restrictions.

Using an Apple ID for a simulated 14-year-old, TTP examined nearly 80 age-restricted apps on the App Store and discovered that the underage user could easily evade the apps’ age restrictions in the vast majority of cases, often with minimal effort.

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‘Pokémon UNITE’ Launches for iOS and Android on September 22

Andrew Orr ·

Nintendo Switch game Pokémon UNITE is coming to the App Store on September 22, the company revealed on Wednesday.

Preregistration has already kicked off on the App Store and Google Play Store. If you haven’t preregistered already, there’s an added incentive to do so. If preregistration totals reach 2,500,000, participants will receive a Pikachu Unite license. And if preregistration numbers hit 5,000,000, participants will get a special Holowear—Festival Style: Pikachu.

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‘Weedmaps’ Adds In-App Purchases for Cannabis Products

Andrew Orr ·

An app called Weedmaps was updated to let customers purchase products directly within the app. It’s a notable move because Apple’s restrictions previously forbade in-app purchases for cannabis.

The change comes after Apple opened up the App Store for some cannabis apps. Under the new guidance, licensed cannabis operators fall under the same restrictions (to Apple) as licensed pharmacies allowing apps like Weedmaps, which lists licensed cannabis operators, to offer such services.

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Apple Exec Says Users Who Want ‘Sideloading’ Move to Android

Andrew Orr ·

Apple released a whitepaper [PDF] about the safety of the App Store, and the company’s head of user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, spoke to Fast Company about it.

Without iOS, users wouldn’t have a mobile operating system platform they could choose from that is impossible to be targeted by malicious sideloading. In Apple’s view, in other words: Do you want the best privacy and security possible? Your choice is iOS. Do you want sideloading? Your choice is Android.

First, “if you want X move to Android” is a bad argument. I like Cory Doctorow’s text on the subject. Second, it’s not “sideloading” it’s downloading your software from the internet like desktop users have enjoyed for decades. Apple has smart people and I’m sure they can figure out a way to bring Gatekeeper to iOS.