Apple Australia refuses to sell products to Iranian customers (Australian citizens)

[stockholmer]

Apple products are widely popular through-out Australia, so when Sydney student Mahsa Javam walked into an Apple store in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill, she didn't expect to be told by a staff member that because she had an Iranian background, she couldn't buy anything in the store.

http://www.hangthebankers.com/apple-australia-refuses-to-sell-products-to-iranian-customers/

Following discriminatory policies of Apple towards Iranian customers in the US, the company’s employees in Australia have also refused to sell their products to Iranian customers. Sydney student Mahsa Javam was denied Apple products at an Apple store in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill, where she was told by a staff member that because she had an Iranian background, she couldn’t buy anything in the store. Mahsa is an Australian citizen of Iranian descent and was planning on visiting Iran on holiday. She says she felt embarrassed and surprised by her treatment.

“What happened to me was a case of discrimination on the base of race and nationality as well as racial profiling which are all against what Australia stands for and against our law,” Javam told Press TV. “I’m surprised that the Australian government has not yet done anything about this,” she added.

This wasn’t the first time a customer at the store was refused buying an Apple product due to their travel destination. This time, however, Apple store staff assured this had nothing to do with the customer’s background. The only way to know about the banned exporting is on Apple’s US website buried in their legal section under ‘Export Compliance’ and the regulations don’t mention Apple products can’t be taken to a banned country temporarily such as a holiday, or a stopover.

An Australian sub-website exists, but redirects to the US legal information for exports. Apple Australia didn’t respond to anyPress TV queries. Apple has recently been the target of criticisms and lawsuits for its discriminatory policies. “The US holds complete embargoes against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria,” Apple says on its website. Apple is wildly notorious for advocating racism as a main part of its policies and the recent move can be interpreted as an instance of the company’s exercising racism


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related

Manhattan Apple Store Accused of Discriminating Against Black Men

http://gawker.com/5805581/manhattan-apple-store-accused-of-discriminating-against-black-men

When Brian Johnson and Nile Charles visited Manhattan's Upper West Side Apple Store last December, they were looking for some cutting edge gadgets and gizmos. What they got, they allege in a lawsuit, was some cutting edge racism.

Johnson, 34, and Charles, 25, claim a middle-aged white Apple employee booted them out of the store because they're black. According to their lawsuit, the employee confronted them when they entered the store, walking up to them in an "intimidating fashion" and saying, "You know the deal. You know the deal."

The "deal" wasn't a free iPod nano with their purchase: The employee said they weren't welcome in the store. "And before you say I'm racially discriminating against you, let me stop you. I am discriminating against you," he allegedly said. "I don't want 'your kind' hanging out in the store.'" Then another employee came up and told them "Now you have to go... if you want to know why it's because I said so. CONSIDER ME GOD." This isn't so much racist as batshit insane.


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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/apple-store-racial-discrimination_n_867101.html

[allan01]

1. re:Apple Australia refuses to sell products to Iranian customers (Australian citizens)

hem.and appaling in this country in this day and age. . i hope the a$$ hats in the manhattan store got fired .

[Renew Deal]

2. I don't believe that second story

There's either more to it or it's a complete lie.

What's with Apple's hangup over Iran? And why are people giving Apple employees any personal information? Better yet, order online no questions asked.

[Art_from_Ark]

3. I think this explains Apple's position:

PROHIBITED DESTINATIONS
The U.S. holds complete embargoes against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria

The exportation, reexportation, sale or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a U.S. person wherever located, of any Apple goods, software, technology (including technical data), or services to any of these countries is strictly prohibited without prior authorization by the U.S. Government. This prohibition also applies to any Apple owned subsidiary or any subsidiary employee worldwide.

http://www.apple.com/legal/export.html

[jberryhill]

5. You beat me to it

Yeah, the story doesn't mention export control laws at all

[RufusTFirefly]

7. But the woman is Australian, not Iranian

Thus, Apple was discriminating against her because of her background.

The fact that she planned to visit Iran is not germane -- at least not from the standpoint of her purchase. As a private company, Apple has no business prying into her travel plans. That's an issue for the Australian government and should not have prevented her from purchasing the computer.

[jberryhill]

9. The story is incomplete in that regard

The story says she is an Australian citizen. It does not say whether or not she is also an Iranian citizen. It is much more common outside of the United States for people to hold multiple citizenships.

[RufusTFirefly]

11. How would you feel if you went to your local Apple Store and they asked for your passport?

With respect, you're missing the point.
Whether or not she has dual citizenship is none of Apple's g-damn beeswax unless she volunteers this information.

[jberryhill]

14. Quite obviously they had reason to believe it would go to Iran

How would I feel?

I guess I'd feel the same as I did about an acquaintance of mine who was locked up for shipping keyboards and mice to a company in Malta which was trans-shipping them to Libya. However, in that instance, the guy went to jail.

Apple is not refusing customers on the basis of some personal animus.

[RufusTFirefly]

16. I'm glad you found it obvious. Seems like profiling to me. But I won't beat a dead horse. n/t

[jberryhill]

4. Depends on Australia's export control laws

In the US, if you sell computer equipment to someone whom you know is going to re-export it to Iran, then you can be charged with a crime.

"Mahsa is an Australian citizen of Iranian descent and was planning on visiting Iran on holiday."

The story doesn't say whether she is solely an Australian citizen or a dual citizen, but it suggests she was planning to take the computer to Iran.

Information about Australian export controls is here:

http://www.dfat.gov.au/un/unsc_sanctions/iran_autonomous_sanctions.html

[RufusTFirefly]

8. Did she tell the people at the Apple Store that she was planning to visit Iran?

If she didn't volunteer this information, it's none of their damn business. That's something for the Australian government to address.

[jberryhill]

10. Obviously she told someone that...

...since that detail is mentioned in the story.

[RufusTFirefly]

12. Just because she told the reporter doesn't mean she told the people at the store

But you're right. We don't know that for sure.

[jberryhill]

15. Oh, okay...

Yeah, uh, Apple just has this personal thing, as a company, about not selling to certain people.

Note:

"This wasn’t the first time a customer at the store was refused buying an Apple product due to their travel destination."

The reason why they refused the sale is stated right there.

In the US, if you sell to someone you know to be taking a controlled product to a banned destination, you will go to jail. You will go directly to jail. You will not pass GO and collect $200.

[LiberalLovinLug]

6. "Apple is wildly notorious for advocating racism as a main part of its policies"

I don't think they'd ever be as successful as they are if this was true. As others have said, this has nothing to do with Apple. The company is protecting itself against prosecution from the US government. Maybe there are instances where employees go too far with that though.

Another Apple bashing story. There are plenty of other tech companies that also must fall under this law that refuse to sell to customers that they know will travel to banned places. Same as other American tech companies that have used sub standard labor practices, but Apple gets singled out. The reporter at the end makes it sound like Apple is going out on its own to ban customers. Think about it....why would ANY company go out of its way to ban customers based on ANYTHING if they didn't have to? Money is money.

And even if that last story is correct, its regrettable, but one off incidents of racism are not confined to Apple stores.

[Overseas]

13. Creepy move. K&R.