By Tripp Mickle

Apple Inc. removed from its app store an app that citizens and protesters in Hong Kong used to track police activity, thrusting the tech giant deeper into the furor engulfing U.S. companies over the protests.

The removal, which Apple announced late Wednesday, followed criticism in Chinese state media of the tech giant's decision just days earlier to approve the app, called HKmap.live.

Apple said it pulled HKmap.live because of concerns it endangered law enforcement and residents. It said in a statement that Hong Kong's Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau verified the app was being "used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement."

"This app violates our guidelines and local laws," Apple said.

The app's developer confirmed the removal on its Twitter account, @hkmaplive, without elaborating. The developer didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, has a commercial agreement to supply news through Apple services.

Yoko Kubota contributed to this article.

Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 10, 2019 00:39 ET (04:39 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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