The Chinese government applied pressure on Apple to remove the two biggest queer dating apps from its App Store in the country, and the iPhone-maker has rolled over and done just that.
The two apps – Blued and Finka – have previously been named as being the first and second most popular dating apps for members of the LGBTQIA+ community in China. Some sources suggest that their appeal spread globally.
China is known for its lack of progress in relation to LGBTQIA+ rights, having only decriminalized homosexuality in 1997. The Chinese government is still yet to recognize same-sex marriage, and has already taken steps to remove other apps it disapproves from – including gay hook-up app Grindr.
With queer characters frequently censored out of foreign movies and TV shows that are shown in China, the move to kill off anything LGBTQIA+ related does not come as a surprise. What many are both disappointed and surprised by is the lack of resistance put up by companies when they are asked to pull apps which are perfectly acceptable in other parts of the world.
Apple has not said anything unprompted about the removal of these queer dating apps. However, contacted by Wired, the company provided a statement in an email that reads:
We follow the laws in the countries where we operate. Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only. Earlier this year, the developer of Finka elected to remove the app from storefronts outside of China, and Blued was available only in China.
Wired was the first outlet to report the disappearance of the Blued and Finka apps, saying in a report:
Apple has removed two of the most popular gay dating apps in China from the App Store after receiving an order from China’s main internet regulator and censorship authority, WIRED has learned. The move comes as reports of Blued and Finka disappearing from the iOS App Store and several Android app stores circulated on Chinese social media over the weekend.
In a report of its own, Engadget makes the following point:
Blued and Finka share a parent company, BlueCity, which is, in turn, owned by Newborn Town. BlueCity also operates in the healthcare space, with a non-profit dedicated specifically to prevention and treatment for diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
Apple’s reaction to Chinese governmental pressure is both understandable and infuriating. While it is true to say that the company must comply with the laws of individual countries, it also has some responsibility to stand up for what is right and to speak out against instances of outright discrimination.
