Apple is Dodgy

luka

Well-known member
But this is one of the reasons I say facts don't exist because as soon as you accept the legitimacy of facts Craner and Vim will force you to read up on von Mises and Hayek. Beezer will have your struggling to understand how software works. They'll tangle you up in facts when all you ever wanted to say was 'save the children.'
 

luka

Well-known member
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas, fish full of mercury
Oh, oh, oh mercy, mercy me

Well what do you really know about the effects of mercury on fish? Have you studied it? And you're going well, no, but it's obviously bad isn't it
 

sufi

lala
Apple and Google working for Putin

MOSCOW, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google and Apple have removed jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's tactical voting app from their stores, his team said on Friday, after Russia accused the U.S. tech firms of meddling in its internal affairs.
Russia goes to the polls on Friday to elect a new parliament in a three-day vote that the ruling United Russia party is expected to win despite a ratings slump after the biggest crackdown on the Kremlin's critics in years
so if you use apple or google you are supporting Putin against democracy
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
That Reuters piece insinuates some degree of coercion, which would make this kind of compliance more understandable:

On Thursday, Russia said official approaches had been made to the two companies' chief executives.

Also this ostensible hypocrisy:

Russia demanded this month that Apple and Google remove the app from their stores, saying a refusal to do so would be treated as meddling in its parliamentary election.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Personally I wouldn't expect these executives to care enough about Russian electoral legitimacy to potentially endanger their families, assuming the "official approaches" were tactically consistent with what seems to be Putin's game.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
But then again, I'd imagine that Google and Apple would have their share of leverage over Putin, but again these are risks that I wouldn't expect executives to take if they are being personally threatened, which I am willing to assume was the case.
 

sufi

lala
i don't think Putin threatened their families, or even would need to, they are willing collaborators, exchanging favours
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Why else would they have reason to block usage of their platforms, if not for such risk? Maybe Putin could be threatening to block access to their platforms, which seems feasible enough, unless such demands are met.

In any case I do think there is enough international attention around Navalny to warrant protection of these executives, should they have been threatened, but my apprehension of all this is theoretical.

Actually it would seem to be in the interest of US national security to ensure that Putin's regime can be challenged by the likes of Navalny, and that US intelligence officers would have reason to support Google and Apple here, but then again I'm willing to assume Putin has his "enablers" in the US public sector to maybe mitigate such efforts. Just speculation though.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
And enablers in the private sector, maybe even in Apple and Google, if Russian intel is playing their hand wisely.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
In fact I'd even go as far as to say that a Russian Intel troll/scout has likely made their way onto this forum. Seems they are liable to turn up in more esoteric corners of the internet than this.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
I'd be surprised if Dissensus never saw any traffic from the troll farm, but again this is an area of almost pure speculation as far as I'm concerned.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
This reuter's article gives clearer details of the meeting between Russian authorities and the Google/Apple executives. Doesn't seem as fishy here; now reconsidering my previous suspicions.

Members of the upper house of parliament met Google (GOOGL.O) and Apple (AAPL.O) representatives in the run-up to the election to tell them to remove the app, or face consequences including fines and criminal prosecution.

Seems like there was a statutory basis in Russia, for what that is worth, for the executives' decision to deplatform the Navalny app.
 

wektor

Well-known member
bought a 2020 computer with them, already having numerous audio stuttering issues while playing a plain mp3 file.
hopefully exchanging for a new one using apple care™ and selling it off for a couple hundred quid less than I bought.
gonna see how much more I can squeeze out of my 2012 macoobok (from the era when they did proper computers, still)
 
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