Following an order from the Chinese government, which cited national security concerns, Apple stated on Friday that it had withdrawn Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China.
App tracking companies Qimai and AppMagic claim that two more international chat applications, Telegram and Signal, were also taken down from the market on Friday.
The banning of the four applications points to an increasing level of intolerance on the part of the Chinese central government towards foreign online chat services that are not within its jurisdiction. It also means Apple will have less room to maneuver in China.
Nevertheless, investigations revealed that other Meta apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, were still accessible for download. There were also a tonne of other well-known apps created by Western businesses, such YouTube and X.
Laptops 1000It was not immediately apparent how Chinese officials would have been concerned about security in relation to WhatsApp or Threads.
“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,” Apple stated in a statement sent via email.
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” the statement continued.
Tencent’s app is the most popular in China, while none of the other four apps are very popular. The most popular service is definitely WeChat.
Due to China’s massive cybersystem of censorship, the “Great Firewall” typically blocks these and many other foreign apps from running on its networks. These apps can only be used with a virtual private network or other proxy technologies.
The two special administrative areas of China, Hong Kong and Macau, still have access to the four apps.
The government order on WhatsApp and Threads, according to some experts on China’s internet sector, may be connected to a new regulation that was implemented in August of last year that mandates that all apps available in the country register with the government or face removal.
The restrictions went into force on April 1st, and companies had until the end of March to complete their registrations. Apple has previously taken apps out of its China app store.
As press censorship in the second-largest economy in the world increased, Apple withdrew The New York Times news app in 2017 on the grounds that it broke local laws.
Laptops 1000It’s still not available in the China App Store for Apple.
Apple removed several ChatGPT-like apps from the App Store last year while Beijing was developing local regulations for AI services that use generative AI.
