A Reddit user has circulated a 'China Bootlickers' list after video chat company Zoom deactivated accounts of prominent pro-democracy Chinese activists based in the U.S.
(Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com)
The list, republished below, includes companies which have kowtowed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by taking actions to censor or restrict pro-democracy content, or otherwise promote CCP talking points. As Bloomberg notes, "Several tech companies were included on the list, including Activision Blizzard, which temporarily banned a gamer who voiced support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators, and Apple, which removed a mapping app in Hong Kong amid protests and pulled the Taiwan flag emoji from some iPhones."
On Thursday, three US lawmakers asked Zoom to clarify its data-collection practices, as well as its relationship with the Chinese government, according to Reuters.
Representatives Greg Walden, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the ranking member of a consumer subcommittee, sent a letter to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan on Thursday asking him to clarify the company’s data practices, whether any was shared with Beijing and whether it encrypted users’ communications.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley also wrote to Yuan asking him to “pick a side” between the United States and China.
...
The California-based firm has come under heavy scrutiny after three U.S. and Hong Kong-based activists said their accounts had been suspended and meetings disrupted after they tried to hold events related to the anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Zoom said on Friday it was notified of the events and asked to take action by the Chinese government in May and early June. It said it suspended one account in Hong and two in the United States but has now reinstated these accounts and will not allow further requests from China to affect users outside the country. -Reuters
Hayman Capital Management CIO Kyle Bass said in a Friday tweet that he expects a "significant U.S. Congressional response to #zoom’s shenanigans. They have no defense."
Activision / Blizzard: banned player for supporting HK democracy protest. Confiscated all his winnings. Fired his interviewers. Apologized to China: condemned incident, swore to defend China's national dignity
Activision / Blizzard: censor words related to HK protest in WoW
Activision / Blizzard: cut livestream when American U team held up pro-HK sign
Activision / Blizzard: censor "Free Hong Kong" in twitch chat of PlayHearthstone
Activision / Blizzard: ban users in its Hearthstone Twitch chat for pro-Hong Kong statements
American Express: changed "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China" on its website
NBA (partial entry): rebuked Rockets manager for his pro-HK tweet, saying NBA was "extremely disappointed with Morey's inappropriate comment." Backpedalled after backlash, now saying they support Morey's freedom of speech.
Washington Wizards: confiscated "Free Hong Kong" sign
Christian Dior: apologize for using "incorrect" China map
Disney / ESPN: forbid mention of Chinese politics when discussing Rockets manager's HK tweet
Disney / ESPN: showed map of China on SportsCenter that acknowledged CCP's claims to nearly entire South China Sea
Disney / Marvel: censored Tibetan monk from "Doctor Strange" & turned him into white woman. Movie screenwriter: "if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place & that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullshit".
Disney: removed non-white characters from Chinese poster of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Disney / ESPN: told reporter to stand down on covering the NBA-China story the way he wanted
Comcast / DreamWorks: movie "Abominable" shows 9 dash line in China map
Viacom / Paramount: censor Taiwan flag from the jacket worn by Tom Cruise in new "Top Gun" movie