Apple’s Tim Cook, who is gay—not that there’s anything wrong with that—seems to believe that his company had no choice but to delete two popular apps that help gay people connect with each other, Blued and Finka, from its China app store (AFP, November 11, 2025).
The reason: the Cyberspace Administration of China required it, and, says an Apple spokesman, “We follow the laws in the countries where we operate.” The laws and, we can see, the edicts.
The Grindr app had been removed from China’s app store in 2022.
Why Apple always follows the laws and edicts of the countries in which it operates is not stated in the AFP report. It may have to do with the revenue that Apple receives from the markets of the countries. If Apple were to resist China’s totalitarian dictates, the company would risk its access to the Chinese market. This prospect seems to be the main source of pressure. No news has emerged that any Apple executives or family members are being held hostage by the People’s Republic of China.
The company has more discretionary power than its statement of policy implies.
Policies can change. Thus, instead of obeying the Chinese Communist Party’s orders about what to include in its app store for China, Apple could instead disobey those orders. Apple could restore the banned gay dating apps, restore the banned VPN apps, restore all the other apps that for one reason or another the Party doesn’t want people in China to be able to download and use.
What would happen next? Probably just what Apple fears. The Party would probably ban Apple’s app store and iPhones and Macs from the PRC market. Apple would have to leave that market and would lose many billions in revenue.
What else would happen? Instead of a relatively small percentage of the Chinese population being upset or more upset with their government because they’ve lost access to certain apps serving specific needs, a much larger percentage consisting of all the people who like and rely on Apple products would be upset or more upset with their government. Some, the pro-CCP zealots, would entirely blame Apple. But many others would see that Apple is being expelled for upholding the rights of the Chinese people as well as Apple’s own rights. The Chinese would see this even more clearly if Apple were to say so.
Disaffection with the Chinese Communist Party would increase. The difficulties that the Party has holding onto power would increase.
Also see:
Cryptopolitan: “Apple CEO Tim Cook graces China’s Hangzhou, the home of AI sensation DeepSeek” (March 26, 2025)
“During Apple’s January 30 earnings call, Cook was asked about DeepSeek’s rapid rise and its impact on the tech industry. He responded, ‘In general, I think innovation that drives efficiency is a good thing. And that’s what you see in that model.’ ”
StoptheCCP.org: “How Did DeepSeek Deep-Six the Chinese and American Competition (If It Did)?”
“The story of the DeepSeek company itself deserves deep attention. It is a charming fairy tale filled with magic and miracles.”
