The company has come under fire for withdrawing an app that monitors police activity in the city. This could have forced the company to make one of the topics of its annual meeting a human rights issue. [The company\’s management has been at odds with some shareholders who say Apple is too accommodating to the Chinese regime; in October, the app was pulled from the App Store, sparking the aforementioned controversy. The app actually mapped Hong Kong and, thanks to Hong Kong residents, monitored where police patrols and groups of protesters were in real time.

The app\’s withdrawal came days after state-run Chinese media criticized the app\’s role in the Hong Kong protests. Tim Cook defended the withdrawal by claiming that the maps were being misused to attack police forces. However, the service is still available through web browsers and in the Google Play store for Android phones.
The iPhone maker\’s controversial move will therefore be addressed at Apple\’s annual shareholders meeting, where, among other things, a resolution will be voted on to prevent further similar moves in the future that could restrict free speech and hinder public access to information. This item was on the agenda despite opposition from the company\’s management.

The resolution was submitted by SumOfUs, a non-profit organization that works to hold large corporations fully accountable on issues such as discrimination, human rights, and climate change. However, this proposal has little chance of success. In fact, similar proposals have already been voted on in 2016 and 2018, but never reached more than 10% support. For example, it failed to convince the banks and investment funds that make up the majority of the shareholder list.
Whether activists will succeed with their plan this time remains to be seen, but it is highly unlikely.