Clicky

Kodak deletes Xinjiang photo from Instagram, apologizes for offending China

Kodak was quick to distance itself from the photographer.

If youโ€™re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

In deleting an Instagram post that is offensive to the Chinese governmentโ€™s sensibilities, and apologizing for posting it, Kodak has basically promised Beijing that it will โ€œlearn, grow, and do better.โ€

The US company issued a statement after removing content by photographer Patrick Wack โ€“ who described the Xinjiang region that is home to the Uyghur minority as โ€œan Orwellian dystopiaโ€ โ€“ saying they donโ€™t endorse or share the Frenchmanโ€™s views.

Kodak had shared ten photos by Wack shot on the film it produces, in order to promote his book, which aims to visually present the way Xinjiang has been, in his words, abruptly descending into an Orwellian dystopia.

Kodak also apologized โ€œfor any misunderstanding or offense the post may have causedโ€ and stressed that the purpose of its Instagram page is to promote creativity rather than dabble in politics.

However, some reports out of Hong Kong say that Kodak issued another statement โ€“ this one crafted for the Chinese public and published on the Chinese social media giant WeChat.

The tone of this apology is markedly different, as it allegedly mentioned Kodakโ€™s long-term good relationship with Chinese authorities, the companyโ€™s intent to continue to respect the country and its laws, adding, โ€œWe will keep ourselves in check and correct ourselves, taking this as an example of the need for caution.โ€

As of Thursday, Kodak was yet to confirm the WeChat post and comment on it for Western media.

The decision to remove the post โ€“ that remains available on Wackโ€™s account โ€“ came after an online outrage campaign mounted by pro-Beijing social media users, and despite the fact that the US government is strongly critical of the treatment of Uyghurs, who are said to live under oppression and mass surveillance.

But Kodakโ€™s moves aimed at appeasing Chinese authorities have been met with another wave of outrage, this time from Beijingโ€™s critics, who say the company behaved disgracefully in bowing down to Chinese pressure, and for choosing money, i.e., access to Chinaโ€™s lucrative market, over supporting human rights issues.

The photographer himself, who lived in China for over ten years, commented on the controversy to say that Kodak distancing itself from political content โ€“ after for decades manufacturing tools used to capture political events โ€“ is what is upsetting to people.

If youโ€™re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

Read more