Apple to remove Messages and Mail from iOS

From Tim (via MacRumors):

It is no secret that technology can be used for good or for ill. This case is no different. The app in question allowed for the crowdsourced reporting and mapping of police checkpoints, protest hotspots, and other information. On its own, this information is benign. However, over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimize individuals and property where no police are present. This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our ‌App Store‌ guidelines barring personal harm. 

We built the ‌App Store‌ to be a safe and trusted place for every user. It’s a responsibility that we take very seriously, and it’s one that we aim to preserve. National and international debates will outlive us all, and, while important, they do not govern the facts. In this case, we thoroughly reviewed them, and we believe this decision best protects our users. 

I’m looking forward to the removal of Facebook and Twitter from the App Store as well as the removal of Mail, Messages, and cellular calling service from iPhones.

It takes a courageous company to do this in the name of stopping violence. Congratulations, Apple. 

(Look, I don’t know how the app is primarily used or where it belongs on the devil-angel meter. But from what little context I have, this was not a well-reasoned or convincing memo defending its removal.)