(Daily Caller News Foundation) — Apple CEO Tim Cook ignored questions from Fox News about the company’s relationship with China Thursday in an exchange caught on video.
“Do you support the Chinese people’s right to protest? Do you regret restricting Airdrop access that protesters used to evade surveillance from the Chinese government? You think it’s problematic to do business with the Chinese party when they suppress human rights?” Fox News correspondent Hillary Vaughn asked Cook, who walked by in silence, even though he appeared to hear the questions.
Apple restricted the Airdrop feature in iPhones sold in China in a Nov. 9 software update, according to CNBC. Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong reportedly used the feature to pass messages that evaded China’s restrictions on the internet during the 2019 protests, QZ.com reported.
New protests began in late November after a deadly fire in a high-rise building killed 10 people. The death toll was reportedly worsened due to locked doors and other COVID-19 prevention measures, according to the BBC.
China began cracking down on the protests Tuesday, according to images obtained by the Daily Mail. Those detained included a BBC reporter who was seen being beaten by Chinese police before being taken into custody, Fox News reported.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
