Apple Safari’s China Website Censorship Now Extends to Hong Kong Users

Apple Safari users in Hong Kong say that China website censorship now extends to the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Chinese nation.

An error message appears on the devices of Hong Kong users, saying that select websites have been blocked for their safety.

Apple Safari's China Censorship Now Extends to Hong Kong Users

As per a news story by 9to5 Mac, Safari users from Hong Kong are now reporting that some websites have been blocked.

The online news outlet notes that the Apple web browser has a safety feature that protects users from accessing potentially malicious websites. It blacklists sites that may bring harm to its users. And it is available in various parts of the world, including China.

However, things are a bit different in China. A Chinese tech giant, Tencent, handles the website filters of Safari in China. And as such, 9to5 Mac notes that the said feature comes with some censorship in the country.

And this time, it looks like Apple has extended these filters to folks based in Hong Kong, which is technically a territory of China.

Safari users are now reporting that select websites seem to have been blacklisted.

Although Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, Apple Insider notes that it is previously free from the censorship that folks in mainland China experience.

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Twitter user, Chu Ka-Cheong, who used to be an Apple employee and software engineer, disclosed that GitLab has been blocked by Safari in Hong Kong.

The warning message says that it could be a "Deceptive Website." It further notes that "this website may try to trick you into doing something dangerous, like installing software or disclosing personal or financial information, like passwords, phone numbers, or credit cards."

Other users in Hong Kong have also reported a similar scenario.

Apple Insider adds in its report that the spokesperson of Apple, Nadine Haija, told The Intercept to directly ask Tencent. However, the Chinese firm refused to speak about it.

The online news outlet notes that the privacy notice of Safari last November 24 says that devices in Hong Kong would also use the list of Tencent's blacklisted websites.

The Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the reason behind the expansion in Hong Kong, Apple Insider reports.

However, given that Tencent is a Chinese tech firm, it follows the rules implemented in China.