Carr Asks Apple to Unblock Voice of America App in China

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr condemned Apple for removing the Voice of America mobile app from the China version of the company’s App store. “I find Apple’s conduct in this regard deeply troubling,” Carr said in a letter to CEO Tim Cook Wednesday. “Voice of America operates by statute as an objective, independent voice when it comes to its reporting and content.” The VOA app provides access to news and includes “built-in support for circumvention technologies” to protect user privacy under authoritarian regimes, Carr said. He referenced a speech last week in which Cook said Apple is committed to promoting privacy and human rights. “It is past time to stand up for those values -- not just in words in Washington but through deeds in Beijing,” Carr wrote. “Will Apple allow access to the Voice of America mobile app through its App Store in China, consistent with the fundamental human rights that you articulated in your speech?” In the letter, Carr gave Apple until April 29 to answer. Apple didn’t comment by our deadline Thursday.