Apple Making It Easier For Customers to Donate to Those in Need in Ukraine

[Allyance]

BE WARNED, that donation made via iTunes IS NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

For those that want to donate and have tax decision, donate directly through UNICEF’s website.

(And for those wondering, YES, you can donate via Apple Pay through UNICEF’s website)

I am not worried about that, don't make enough to pay taxes any more. Good info for those making a substantial donation. Every dollar helps.

Who said it is not tax deductible? Here is a copy of my Apple receipt clearly indicating it is a donation to Unicef. That would be like saying a Visa donation is and a Mastercard is not.

Don't worry about it.

 

[Mac_tech]

Wow! Makes it so much easier to donate. I will be donating a good chunk of money, today. It is much needed. ??

Thanks, Apple.

I would add rather then Apple directing people to iTunes or Music that it should be directed to a webpage instead. I feel that would be easier and one less hassle of people being taken to a separate application. Good that Apple's helping out like this.

 

[Allyance]

I would add rather then Apple directing people to iTunes or Music that it should be directed to a webpage instead. I feel that would be easier and one less hassle of people being taken to a separate application. Good that Apple's helping out like this.

Why go to another site? Apple is not taking a penny for this. It is quick and easy. They are also matching employees
donations 2 to 1.

 

[The Cappy]

Donated.

 

[jjcs]

Very interesting how Tim Cook only stopped sales in Russia after the currency crash there. This is the guy who claims to care about freedom of speech, gay rights, etc but he does everything to comply with Russian laws instead of standing up for his so called beliefs.

Considering his relationship with the PRC, he actually cares about the bottom line, not any of those other things.

 

[cecil444]

As we’ve seen over the years, whether the cause be related to the environment, labor, privacy, human rights, or some other public good — Apple will support it inasmuch and insomuch as it benefits their bottom line. But that’s it. I used to believe Apple truly did care about all these things but have come to recognize their hypocrisy in such matters, and that can’t be ignored or overlooked. I still think the Apple of Tim Cook is better in this regard than the Apple of Steve Jobs — the company actually does bother to champion good causes, and it does encourage people, including its own employees, to do the same. But at the end of the day Apple Inc. is a publicly traded company and is not willing to take great monetary risk based on principle. Maybe this is what shareholders want and expect, but it does leave the rest of us — who believed the company stood for something more — feeling misled and lied to all these years. It’s better to see the company for what it is, with eyes open, than to imagine it as something it’s not.

 

[supercoolmanchu]

Very interesting how Tim Cook only stopped sales in Russia after the currency crash there. This is the guy who claims to care about freedom of speech, gay rights, etc but he does everything to comply with Russian laws instead of standing up for his so called beliefs.

Russian stocks have been severely hammered, and now retail investors are blocking from trading them (ie. you). However institutional investors like JP Morgan and Godlman Sacks (Apple credit card partner) are not and actively gobbling up as much Russian energy, railway, steel and banking stocks as they can on the cheap.

If you're watching the media on either partisan side, this "war" is clearly 9/10th propganda, but if you are paying even the slightest attention to the financial side, Apple's actions are clearly aligned with market manipulation thru geopolitical pageantry.

Apple isn't the good guy here. Don't give money to any of these groups, the scams are rampant and no good will be done in the world with it.

 

[nicho]

I don't even understand why they are doing this CSAM thing anyway. It doesn't work if you aren't using iCloud Photos anyway. If you use iCloud Photos (I do), then every photo on the iPhone, iPad or Mac's Photo Library is stored in iCloud as well. Why not look for CSAM match content on the server end (they probably do) and not on the device end? That way their marketing line of "What happens on iPhone stays on iPhone" would be true.

Many don’t.

One explanation I recall is that in order to do a CSAM match on the server end, they need the encryption key for your photos. Which means they can access all the data at any time (easily). They are essentially only encrypted in transit.

Scanning on the device would negate the need to do it on the server. So they could store them encrypted at rest.

 

[Daalseth]

I was wondering over the last few days how I could donate to help. I'm always worried about scams, and they always seem to crop up in times of crisis. This gives me a way to do something and be certain that the monmey I donate will actually get to where I want it to.

 

[Daalseth]

Very interesting how Tim Cook only stopped sales in Russia after the currency crash there. This is the guy who claims to care about freedom of speech, gay rights, etc but he does everything to comply with Russian laws instead of standing up for his so called beliefs.

Did it ever occur to you that a trillion dollar company can't turn on a dime?
Did it ever occur to you that Apple Legal had to be consulted to make sure that Apple would not get in hot water in Russia, or the US for doing this?
Did it ever occur to you that maybe they needed a couple of days to warn their staff on the ground so they could get to safety before the hammer fell?
No you just jumped to the conclusion that Apple=Evil.

I work for a company with 1600 employees that grossed $35mil last year. Even a relatively small company like that only announced that they were stopping all sales to Russia and Beylorus this last Wednesday. Legal s*** takes time.

 

[I7guy]

Not intended as an insult, nor an opinion. If Cook says that he stands for something and then undermines it, it makes Cook a hypocrite. Apple (and Cook) claims to support LBQT+ folks, yet they bow down to Russia's orders and remove the pride flag. Cook & Apple that privacy is a fundamental human right, yet they bowed down to CCP and puts servers with backdoor access for the government in China while at home in the US, he & Apple stood their ground and refused the FBI's demands for a backdoor into a shooter's iPhone... why is that? Almost like their beliefs vary depending in the market they are in.

He claim's privacy is a fundamental human right and then his company introduces CSAM.** Don't preach something and then introduce something to undermine it. I get his primary duties are to the shareholders (my parents own Apple stock and are thrilled) but don't get into political discussions when your actions differ from your words. Steve Jobs rarely if ever spoke about politics. If Cook really meant what he said, he'd keep his pride flag emoji in Russia, tell Putin to pound sand, and deal with the consequences.

As John Lewis said (Apple even shared THIS quote on their homepage when he died) "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in, good trouble, necessary trouble."

Why quote Lewis and have MLK quotes in your office if you can't stand up for what you believe in?

**I don't even understand why they are doing this CSAM thing anyway. It doesn't work if you aren't using iCloud Photos anyway. If you use iCloud Photos (I do), then every photo on the iPhone, iPad or Mac's Photo Library is stored in iCloud as well. Why not look for CSAM match content on the server end (they probably do) and not on the device end? That way their marketing line of "What happens on iPhone stays on iPhone" would be true.

I'm glad to see them making it easy to donate to humanitarian efforts though.

My opinion is that Apple will go as far as they can, given they have to obey local laws. That caveat is what people have to deal with before they go around throwing the "hypocrisy" label around.

As far as CSAM it is just another example that you could use your possessions as you want. For example, you can't (in most states) carry around a gun without a permit. And as ar as CSAM Apple is already scanning for CSAM on icloud. Don't want scanning, turn icloud off.

I doubt Tim Cook cares that some label him as a hypocrite as he is not going to change his behavior. And it's obvious I won't change your mind, nor will you change mine no matter how many verbal volleys are exchanged.

 

[I7guy]

Yep, and in this case, it' profits, followed by PR, leading to more profits. The point is, he has absolutely zero cares in the world for the actual issues, and those of us that are switched on, would rather he just shut up and stick to making good products, so that we don't have to want to vomit in our mouths every time some populous issue hit's the headlines, and lo, there is Apple, pretending to care again. Generous people don't need to tell the world how generous they are, they just quietly do it. When you tell the world about your wonderful generosity, you are simply buying PR.

Actually companies that donate and share this information, imo, encourage others to donate as well. So imo, that's a side benefit of having big companies donating, and especially when these companies provide a corporate matching donation.

Your entitled to your views (obviously), but as I said above, Tim Cook will not change how he operates, because random internet posters post snarky verbiage about him.

 

[Bandaman]

Very interesting how Tim Cook only stopped sales in Russia after the currency crash there. This is the guy who claims to care about freedom of speech, gay rights, etc but he does everything to comply with Russian laws instead of standing up for his so called beliefs.

China is a bigger issue for Apple's claims of human rights than Russia, but yes, that too.

 

[NBAasDOGG]

Can I also donate to Russia?

 

[cardfan]

I was wondering over the last few days how I could donate to help. I'm always worried about scams, and they always seem to crop up in times of crisis. This gives me a way to do something and be certain that the monmey I donate will actually get to where I want it to.

UNICEF is pretty easy to donate directly to. There’s others. Anything you pay to apple isn’t deductible.

 

[svish]

Makes it very easy. Good going Apple!

 

[japanime]

with the 30% commission, apple can recover the money lost due to the closure of stores in Russia ?

Apple says 100% of the amount donated will go to UNICEF. There is no 30% commission.

 

[sudo-sandwich]

If enough people in Russia were against the war and against their dictator, they’d Get rid of him

and if they had a leader, which is difficult when such a thing is effectively illegal there

 

[Solomani]

I like this (Apple) step in the right direction, i.e. making it easier to donate.

However, Unicef would not be my first choice to donate in relief services. While Unicef is well established and does good work in supporting affected families..... I'm leaning towards a relief service that is directly on the front lines of the (Ukraine) refugee crisis. So International Rescue Committee would be my first choice as they would be the major established service on the front lines as the refugees arrive into neighboring Poland in the tens of thousands.

IRC would be the ones that would literally be setting up tent cities for the refugees, within days of them fleeing their bombed-out country. It's the same refugee work they performed in Iraq, Syria, etc.

And at the tail end of their mission.... IRC would be the ones that work hard to resettle refugees in wealthy host nations (e.g. they were instrumental in getting the US Government to resettle Afghan refugees that fled -- the lucky ones that could escape -- when the Taliban retook Kabul some months ago).

IRC's website makes it braindead easy to donate via.... (drum roll please!) ApplePay. ApplePay makes it so easy, and of course ApplePay is secure as to avoid credit card fraud, etc.

IRC Website link

Anyways.... any donation is a good deed and an act of kindness. But we should all do a little research before donating to a relief service. They all perform charitable work, but they focus on different types of assistance.

Want to help Ukrainians? Consider donating to these charities​

 

[majkom]

Very interesting how Tim Cook only stopped sales in Russia after the currency crash there. This is the guy who claims to care about freedom of speech, gay rights, etc but he does everything to comply with Russian laws instead of standing up for his so called beliefs.

Both google and apple could have done much more.. they could have pushed message about war to all russian customers to break russian propaganda… but they both chose not to do so… brave, but only if it easy for them.

 

[iHorseHead]

Only on its U.S. website?

No, in Europe as well

 

[iHorseHead]

If enough people in Russia were against the war and against their dictator, they’d Get rid of him

Easier said than done. My friend in Russia went to protest and she got beaten up by the police and arrested. Her parents told her that they hate her.
Now they passed the law that states if you go to protest you'll get up to 15 years for treason.

 

[Bustycat]

Easier said than done. My friend in Russia went to protest and she got beaten up by the police and arrested. Her parents told her that they hate her.
Now they passed the law that states if you go to protest you'll get up to 15 years for treason.

Too late to get rid of Putin. Russia is now Putin himself and trying to remove all of viruses.

 

[LiE_]

Donated £10, only a small amount but better than nothing.

 

[Daalseth]

FWIW I'm Canadian and it's not appearing on the Canadian Apple site. However I went to the US site followed the link and then logged in with my Canadian ID and my donation went through. It's a bit kludgy, but it works.