The iTunes store is back up after going dark last week across China following word that the album whose proceeds will be used for “peace initiatives and Tibetan cultural preservation projects important to the Dalai Lama,” was for sale there. (iTunes Link)
Yesterday, we had reported that the iTunes store was up and running in China, but now it’s officially official. With the iTunes store back up and running, speculators claim that Chinese authorities were behind the blackout due to their sensitivity to “pro-Tibet anything,” according to blog.wired.com. Today, China has lifted the country-wide block and has apparently come up with a way to censor access to just Song for Tibet. While “Apple accepts the majority of albums submitted for distribution through iTunes, its inclusion of the album during the Olympics was most likely not intended as a barb” claims the blog. (i.e. Apple’s posting of the album was not intending to make a political statement regarding China’s relations with Tibet and the Dalai Lama.)
Critics, including David Wolfe, tout that if Apple wants be become a mainstay in countries like China, they have to play by Chinese rules: censoring/excluding certain material due to political or religious content. Writes Wolf, “Apple management needs to choose between developing China as a market or the freedom to engage in random acts of passive-aggressive panda-punching.” With Wolfe openly implying Apple’s prominent promotion within the store as a political jab towards China, many might wonder the true intentions behind the albums time of release.
As we all know, Apple is based in the west of the western world. They come from the left. A place where freedom of speech and expression of opinion are for the most part expected and appreciated….and at the very least tolerated. What do you think Apple should do? Should they bow down to the Chinese regime and engage in/abide by censorship? If Apple did agree to play ball with China, could there be repercussions in other, more liberal, markets?
Read – Wired
