![]() Tencent has invested in Spotify, Epic Games, and Snap, but none of them have experienced the censoring that Reddit members fear. Other US enterprises with Chinese financing, on the other hand, have escaped the country’s restrictions thus far. A brief video of a foreigner reading from Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book was banned from the site in one case. Users that log into their Chinese accounts on Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, from outside the state have had their postings removed. If their accounts are linked to mainland IDs, WeChat users in the United States may still be restricted. While China has previously banned information outside of its borders, it has often done so via Chinese native applications linked to mainland accounts. The investments from China raised concerns amongst Redditors, who don’t like the idea of their free-speech platform being censored in Chinese fashion. While the platform is still owned by American company Advanced Publications, Chinese investors do have stakes in the company. In 2019, Tencent, the Chinese digital titan behind WeChat and League of Legends, invested $150 million in Reddit, raising concerns about censorship among Reddit users. Where does this idea come from? Does China Own Reddit? PinĪfter Steve and Alexis left Reddit in 2009 and moved on to different ideas, their community manager Erik Martin kept the idea going and came up with two different ways of advertising on the site in the form of sponsored content and self-serve ads.įast forward a few years and not only have Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian returned as executives with Ohanian again leaving this role, but there’s also a lot of discussions over China owning the company. The main goal of Reddit was to create a “front page of the internet”, which is the idea they developed the platform around from its birth. Reddit was founded in 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian after a couple of failed attempts at creating business startups, including a business idea that involved being able to order food by text message called ‘My Mobile Menu’. Or, it might not surprise you if you’re an active user on the platform, due to the many memes that are created in response to any Chinese involvement. She stated she doesn't see Epic Games as a sympathetic victim, but she has also agreed with Epic's lawyers that Apple clearly has a monopoly on its own iOS platform, though she isn't convinced there's precedent for that to be a problem.Although Reddit was developed and launched in the US, it might surprise you to know that China does now play a huge role in the social media platform. The judge has given little indication of which way she is leaning. Instead, both companies agreed to present their cases to Judge Gonzalez Rogers, a seasoned veteran with antitrust cases, who will decide how the case ought to be settled.Īlthough the case ended several months ago on May 23, 2021, we are yet to hear a verdict, as Judge Gonzalez Rogers is still deliberating. All the while, members of the public could tune in and listen to the court hearing as it played out. The court battle lasted three weeks, during which each company presented various documents and expert testimonial to back up its case. What Happened With the Epic Games Lawsuit?Īfter Epic Games filed its lawsuit against Apple, and Apple responded in kind, the two companies took their cases to court on May 3, 2021. ![]() ![]() But, obviously, Apple doesn't need to worry about the 30% commission it pays to itself, giving it an edge on the competition. For example, Apple released Apple Music in competition with Spotify, and more recently released Apple Fitness+ in competition with Peloton. However, this fee forces developers to set a higher price for their products and services to account for Apple's commission, and there's no way around it for developers since the App Store is the only way to install apps on the iPhone.Īs an added complication, Apple sells its own products and services through the App Store that are in direct competition with third-party developers. Related: Apple Claims the App Store Prevented More Than $1.5 Billion of Fraud in 2020 Apple says this fee reflects the immense value of the App Store to developers while allowing Apple to monitor and regulate the quality, privacy, and security of apps on the platform. What you might not know is that Apple keeps up to 30% of every app sale or in-app purchase made through the App Store. That is, without jailbreaking your iPhone and breaching Apple's terms of use by doing so. If you ever owned an iPhone, you probably already know that Apple's iOS App Store is the only way to install third-party software on the device. ![]() The lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple centers around the iOS App Store. ![]()
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