Apple might be implementing a VPN censorship order in Brazil

This is Apple blocking (some?) VPN apps from the App Store because [edit: probably] they're required to do so, something they've been doing for a while in some countries (eg: China, Russia).

And this is why I want to have the option to install whatever I want on my devices without needing to use the app store everyone uses. Not a very popular position among Apple users because everything must come only from the App Store for some reason, but when something like this happens, you have no alternatives.

I am Brazilian and as far as I know, there is no previous case in Brazil where VPN services were removed from online stores or any other web page. Apple do not have a huge market share in Brazil (just 16.54% for iOS), so it would be very strange trying to block something there. I do not think that blocking VPN makes any sense and I would wait for Apple pronouncement before suggesting "censorship" or something like this.

This is terrible news, and I hope this opens up the eyes of people who don't see the dangers of user-hostile and locked down "walled gardens".

Brazilian here. To the best of my knowledge such orders are always publicised, if nothing else because they would be highly unlikely to apply to only one platform (ie, the courts or some regulatory agency would need to require Android and other phones to also disallow ProtonVPN or any other).

So this seems like a tech glitch, could even be some block implemented for example at the Embratel backbone connecting Brazil to the rest of the world. Or, could indeed be the unlikely but possible cases of Apple just responding to a “secret” order or deciding out of its own volition to block them.

Twitter also pulled out of Brazil. While I presume Musk is at least partially playing this up, they apparently got some kind of secret court order.

Anyone has any idea what's going on down there?

After the news about VPN apps removed from the App Store in Russia, the writing was on the wall: The current tech companies have become an enforcement agency of the state they operate in.

I'm pretty happy with Apple's walled garden but IMHO the risk is too high to run the society on infrastructure that can be used to fully control the communications and individual ability of people on press of a button.

I fully expect the US to learn their lesson after the US elections this year, either pro-Trump or the anti-Trump folks will learn their lesson the hard way.

Whenever there's the technical ability, someone will want to use it. That's also why all the governments want to listen to our conversations and access our data, they are also always well intentioned(in their mind the solution to stop the bad people is just a click away, how can you deny this?). The problem is of course, either someone will get corrupted and use this to do something horrible(tech designed to save the children will be used to target people) or people will disagree on what's what's the right thing to do and the tech will be used to destroy them(decisions on something will be met with protests and the tech will be used to silence/cancel/catch/demoralize/block communication etc).

I'm afraid the world will go through a techno-fascism stage.

It is very likely to be a censorship order. There's this supreme court judge who wants his personal enemies suppressed and he's gonna make it everybody's problem until he gets impeached. I've read documents where he calls technology like VPNs "subterfuge" and threatens totally arbitrary fines to anyone using such things and any such service making itself available to brazilians.

Proton made its VPNs freely available in Venezuela after the fraudulent elections. They're probably aware of it. These people are all defenders of the venezuelan dictatorship after all.

'We no longer answer to your Brazillian dictatorship' -> Solved. Only if.

This is why I love the power of F-Droid, Linux, and things like Apple not making browsers run its engine under the hood, forced 'App Stores'

You never. Ever. Ever. Force a VPN censorship. Access to the internet is our last hope, as a house divided against itself, falls. To separate the people and control their communications, is an act of war. While this may sound extreme, imagine going to log on the internet and not being able to know whats going on, or contact any of your friends while being told bullshit on local TV channels and curfews being 1pm while not having money to buy groceries.

“Apple might be implementing…”.

Could you get back with me when you actually know?

Why does HN and assume they can simply not follow the law in the country they do business? They should be mad at Brazil.