[jsjolen]

I disagree, I don't think we will ever do the right thing if the reward is big enough. I think the right way to go is to dismantle these unnecessary power structures that allow us to do the wrong choice and replace them with better ones.

For example, Apple can only do this because they have the power to remove apps from their store (fine) and because we do not have the power to install apps which aren't from their store (not fine).

If the latter is fixed, then there would be no issue. HKers would be able to install the map, and no one would be able to stop them - because no unnecessary power structure that can be abused exists.

[mikeg8]

In regards to your second paragraph, I feel a certain dissonance. We have a right to purchase the products we desire in a “free market” but at what point do we have the right to dictate how that producer chooses to design their product/platform ie. free installation of all applications. I think technologists have a too idealistic view of software as a basic right/liberating force without accepting companies should have the right make decisions we strongly disagree with.

[leereeves]

Are you against requiring seat belts and emissions controls in cars? Requiring homes to be built to code? Requiring utilities to provide water/power/gas to products made by other companies?

Society regularly dictates how producers design their products. Technologists aren’t used to that because lawmakers have been slow to catch up, and many were intentionally hands off to foster the growth of the Internet, but the Wild West days are over and civilization is coming to Silicon Valley.

[mistermann]

> Are you against requiring seat belts and emissions controls in cars? Requiring homes to be built to code? Requiring utilities to provide water/power/gas to products made by other companies?

This seems like a good line of reasoning that should be used when drafting up legislation to stop this behavior. All of this legislation enforcing certain behavior is to prevent harm to people. Similarly, the ability for China to so easily make Western corporations dance to their tune is an incredibly dangerous development with obvious potential for significant and frequent harm. I hope this becomes a major election issue.

[mikeg8]

Society regularly dictates how producers design their products, when it effects the immediate physical safety and well-being of their citizens. I think equating the Apple/HK issue to your other examples is a far stretch.

[leereeves]

From what I've seen of the behavior of police in HK, I think knowing where the police are might well affect the immediate physical safety and well-being of HK citizens.

[arcticfox]

This really doesn't solve the end-game though. China will just say phones need the ability to pull apps, problem solved for them. (They already do this in every sense imaginable: you need to transfer tech to China, you need to censor news stories, you need to show your face to facial recognition cameras, etc.).