Google pulls HK protest game for violating rules

Hong Kong, Oct 11 (IANS) Google has removed a pro-Hong Kong protestor game called “The Revolution of our Times” from the Play Store for violating rules.

Before being deleted, the app had been downloaded over 1,000 times.

“The company has a policy that prohibits developers from ‘capitalizing on sensitive events such as attempting to make money from serious ongoing conflicts or tragedies through a game’, and that it deemed the app in violation of the policy,” The Wall Street Journal quoted a Google spokesman as saying on Thursday.

According to the report, Google received an objection from the Hong Kong authorities about game.

Meanwhile, Apple has also allegedly removed the app of news website Quartz, which has been covering the Hong Kong protests in detail, from its App Store.

Quartz received a notice from Apple saying the app was being removed “because it includes content that is illegal in China”.

The news outlet also said that its entire website was now inaccessible in mainland China.

Earlier, Apple had removed the Hkmap.live application from an iPhone App Store allegedly used by anti-government protesters in Hong Kong to track and attack police.

Protests in Hong Kong started in June over the now-shelved extradition bill which has turned more into a democracy movement, with demonstrators asking Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down.

After Lam introduced the colonial-era anti-mask ban last week, the city has come to a standstill with more protests erupting against the legislation.