Hong Kong
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Scammers use deepfakes to steal $25.6 million from a multinational firm
A Hong Kong-based finance worker deposited the money after interacting with a deepfake of the CFO.
Wikipedia banned seven users after reported 'infiltration' by a Chinese group
Wikipedia suffered an "infiltration" from a Chinese group that "threatened the very foundations" of the site.
Google gave user data to Hong Kong officials despite moratorium promise
Google gave user data to Hong Kong officials in the second half of 2020 despite promising otherwise after the city enacted a controversial security law.
Facebook, Google and Twitter threaten to leave Hong Kong over privacy law changes
Facebook, Google and Twitter have reportedly warned the Hong Kong government they would drop services in the territory if data protection law changes take effect.
Google stops responding to data requests from Hong Kong authorities
Google will no longer respond directly to data requests from Hong Kong authorities.
Seven Hong Kong VPN providers accused of exposing private user data
Seven Hong Kong VPN companies have reportedly leaked sensitive user data despite claiming they don't keep logs.
TikTok will pull out of Hong Kong because of China's new security law
TikTok will exit the Hong Kong market and cut off access to all residents of the semi-autonomous region.
Facebook will 'pause' responses to data requests from Hong Kong
China just recently imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong, a region not subject to the country’s restrictive “Great Firewall” that censors the internet throughout the country. According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s WhatsApp will pause any processing of requests for user data from Hong Kong police while it reviews the new regulation. WhatsApp was the first Facebook company to confirm it wouldn’t process these government requests, but now it sounds like all of Facebook will hold off on reviewing data requests.
Twitter removes 170,000 state-backed accounts based in China
In its latest sweep, Twitter has removed 32,242 state-linked accounts with ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia and Turkey.
Apple caves on demands to show Crimea as part of Russia in its apps
Apple's Maps and Weather apps now display Crimea as a Russian territory when viewed from within the country. According to the BBC, the company was pressured by the State Duma to do so, and had originally suggested displaying Crimea as an "undefined territory". However, Apple finally caved to the Russian officials' demands, according to Vasily Piskaryov, chairman of the Duma security and anti-corruption committee. In contrast to Apple's Maps and Weather apps, Google Maps shows Crimea as belonging to neither Ukraine nor Russia.
Blizzard's 2019 event opened with an apology for its response to protests
Along with announcements of new games and expansions, the opening remarks from Blizzcon 2019 included a reference to how the company handled a Hearthstone pro who voiced support for Hong Kong protesters in a post-match interview. Blizzard banned the player, "Blitzchung," for a year, stripped him of his winnings and cut ties with the casters who were interviewing him, initiating protests from others who saw the company's moves as violations of free speech, and favoring the Chinese government. On the event stage, president J. Allen Brack said "Blizzard had an opportunity to bring the world together..We moved too quickly in our decision, and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you. When I think about what I'm most unhappy about, it's really two things: We didn't live up to the high standards we set for ourselves. And second, we failed in our purpose."
US lawmakers criticize Apple over Chinese app censorship
In a new letter co-penned by a bipartisan group of members of Congress, federal lawmakers say they have "strong concern" related to Apple's recent actions in China. The letter, which is addressed to CEO Tim Cook, zeroes in on Apple's decision earlier this month to remove HKMap, an app pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong used to track the location of local law enforcement.
Blizzard halves 'Hearthstone' pro's suspension over Hong Kong protest
Three days after Blizzard handed down a year-long ban to pro Hearthstone player 'Blitzchung,' aka Ng Wai Chung, the company has walked back its decision. In a letter to fans Blizzard president J. Allen Brack stated that they decided since he played fairly, he is entitled to his winnings, which had been stripped after he called for the liberation of Hong Kong during a postgame interview. The suspension for Blitzchung and the Taiwanese shoutcasters who were interviewing him is now six months, as "a consequence for taking the conversation away from the purpose of the event and disrupting or derailing the broadcast." According to Brack, this is the company not trying to take sides and that its relationships in China -- namely Tencent's ownership stake in the company -- had no impact on the decision. It remains to be seen how this move will go over in China, where a response to the NBA's statement regarding a Hong Kong support tweet by Daryl Morey saw the league's games pulled from TV and signage taken down. Meanwhile, for the many gamers angered by Blizzard taking action against one of its esports players, claiming that "Every Voice Matters" while also insisting that its games "are not a platform for divisive social or political views" will be difficult to take seriously.
Riot urges 'League of Legends' pros to keep quiet on 'sensitive' issues
Riot is trying to keep its hands clean after Blizzard banned a pro player for supporting Hong Kong protests on-camera. The League of Legends developer's esports head John Needham has issued a statement saying that Riot has "reminded" pro players and hosts to avoid discussing "sensitive issues" during broadcasts, including politics and religion. It argued that personal views should stay "separate" as there was no way they could be "fairly represented" in the space of a game tournament. There's not enough room for the patience and subtleties these subjects require, the studio said.
Tim Cook defends Apple’s decision to remove Hong Kong protest app
Less than a day after Apple sparked controversy by removing a Hong Kong protest app, CEO Tim Cook has defended the decision. Apple removed the HKmap.live app after China Daily -- owned by the Communist Party of China -- criticized the company for listing it in the App Store. In an internal letter, Cook wrote, "we believe this decision best protects our users."
Apple removes Hong Kong protest app following Chinese pressure
Apple's complex relationship with China has made the headlines again. Just a day after Chinese state media criticized the company for allowing HKmap in its App Store -- and a week after Apple flip flopped on its initial decision to delist the app -- the crowdsourced map app has been removed, again sparking concerns that Apple is pandering to China's political regime.
Blizzard is 'assessing the situation' after Hong Kong protest ban
Blizzard is considering its options as fans around the globe react to its decision to ban Hearthstone esports player Ng Wai Chung, known professionally as Blitzchung, after he voiced support for the protests in Hong Kong during a live post-match interview. Two days after pulling down his gas mask and calling to "liberate Hong Kong" on the livestream, Chung's winnings from the Grandmasters tournament were rescinded, he was banned from pro play for a year, and ties were cut with the two Taiwanese casters who happened to be on-camera at the time. "It's a violation of free speech," Chung told Engadget. "I am pretty sure I won't get that kind of punishment if my speech was pro-China-government."
Apple removes Taiwan flag emoji from iOS in Hong Kong
Apple appears to have removed the Taiwan flag from the emoji keyboard of users that have their iOS region set to Hong Kong or Macau, according to a number of local websites, including Hiraku. The change, implemented via a software update, comes not long after the company released its iOS 13 operating system, and highlights the complicated relationship that Apple -- and indeed many American companies -- have with China.
Blizzard bans 'Hearthstone' pro for Hong Kong protest support
The esports world is finding itself embroiled in a political dispute. Blizzard has banned pro Hearthstone player Ng Wai Chung (aka Blitzchung) for a year after he voiced support for Hong Kong protesters in a post-match interview. The statement allegedly violated rules forbidding players from saying something that "offends a portion or group of the public" or "otherwise damages" Blizzard's image. The developer is also kicking Chung out of the Grandmasters, eliminating his winnings from the tournament and halting work with the casters who conducted the interview despite their attempts to distance themselves from the statement.
Reuters: New Telegram feature will protect HK protesters' identities
Telegram will roll out an update designed to protect Hong Kong protesters' identities in the coming days, according to Reuters. The upcoming feature will cloak users' phone numbers to prevent authorities from being able to look up the people participating in protesters' group chats. Telegram's security-focused features made it the go-to chat application for activists around the world. Hong Kong protesters are using it to share information on where they're holding demonstrations, to pass around the access codes of buildings where they can hide and to make sure fellow activists know the identities of undercover cops.
