On Thursday, Apple removed the smartphone app HKmap.live from its online store. The app helps people avoid danger and trouble during Hong Kong’s ongoing protests. Apple withdrew the product under pressure from several sources, including the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily. “Is Apple guiding Hong Kong thugs?” it had asked in an opinion piece. The company said in a statement that it removed HKmap.live from its app store because it “has been used to target and ambush police” and “threaten public safety.” Apple said criminals have used the app to learn which areas have little police presence so they can more easily carry out crimes. “This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store,” the company said. The company’s decision angered Apple users in Hong Kong, even those who have not been protesting in the streets.