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Apple faces criticism for removing LGBTQ+ applications from the App Store in 152 countries round the world. A new joint study from US-based advocacy group Fight for the longer term and China-based GreatFire, which tracks censorship in China, details that Apple’s decisions in these countries ‘enables government censorship of LGBTQ+ content’.
The new findings reveal that Apple has been enabling government censorship of LGBTQ+ content, most directly 1,377 documented cases of app access restrictions, in 152 App Stores round the world, reports 9To5Mac.
Moreover, a minimum of 50 LGBTQ+ apps, including the bulk of the foremost popular ones, are currently unavailable in one or more App Stores. Most of the App Stores where the foremost number of apps are blocked, coincide with countries already low on the list for human rights for the queer community.
Underscoring Apple’s role in enabling this censorship is cases like Malaysia, whose government criminalizes homosexuality but where only seven LGBTQ+ apps are faraway from its App Store; or Niger and South Korea , whose governments have legalized homosexuality, but whose App Stores are within the highest 10 with most unavailable LGBTQ+ apps. Among the findings within the study is that the App Store in China has removed 27 LGBTQ+-related applications, either at the request of the Chinese government or pre-emptively.
According to reports, Saudi Arabia is that the App Store with the foremost LGBTQ+-related applications unavailable, missing 28 apps.