>I suppose it's really not much different than the laws in the US that compel companies to give the government access to my information if they request such acc

>I suppose it's really not much different than the laws in the US that compel companies to give the government access to my information if they request such access. It is very different. Censorship with the main objective of keeping an unelected regime in power by suppressing free speech is not the same as any problematic side-effects of fighting crime and terrorism. Granted, there are some grey areas such as oppression of sexual minorities, but the distinction between political oppression and crime fighting should not be lost completely. The least Apple could do is allow sideloading of apps.