\n
China is a key market for Apple, which last year topped the country’s smartphone market for the first time – Copyright AFP Hector RETAMAL<\/small><\/em><\/p>\nApple has removed the Meta-owned WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China following an order from the country\u2019s top internet regulator, Bloomberg reported Friday citing the tech giant.<\/p>\n
Beijing engages in some of the world\u2019s most extensive internet censorship, with web users in mainland China unable to access everything from Google to many foreign apps without using a virtual private network.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,\u201d said Apple in a statement, according to Bloomberg.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,\u201d said Apple, referring to China\u2019s internet regulator.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Meta spokesperson referred AFP to Apple, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
The CAC and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology \u2014 another top Chinese internet regulatory body \u2014 also did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n
China is a key market for Apple, which last year topped the country\u2019s smartphone market for the first time.<\/p>\n
But thorny issues of censorship and national security have long hounded the US-based firm\u2019s operations in China as Beijing and Washington engage in a fierce battle for technological supremacy.<\/p>\n
In January, China said it had cracked Apple\u2019s encrypted AirDrop communication service, which had once given protesters a vital channel for sharing information during the major 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
State-backed experts said in January that they had devised a way to reveal an iPhone\u2019s encrypted device log, allowing them to then identify an AirDrop user\u2019s phone number and email accounts.<\/p>\n
Many online platforms that are popular in much of the world \u2014 including Google, Facebook, X, WhatsApp and TikTok \u2014 are blocked in mainland China.<\/p>\n
But savvy iPhone users in China have still been able to download banned platforms through Apple\u2019s app store, then use a VPN to get around the restrictions.<\/p>\n
Removing WhatsApp and Threads from the Chinese app store will greatly complicate the ability of new iPhone users to access the apps.<\/p>\n
The latest development comes a day before a scheduled vote in the US House of Representatives to force the wildly popular video app TikTok to sever all links with its Chinese parent ByteDance.<\/p>\n
US officials have raised concerns in recent years over potential national security and privacy threats posed by TikTok, despite repeated assurances by the firm that it presents no risks to the American public.<\/p>\n
Beijing has frequently lashed out against US restrictions on Chinese tech, claiming they are a pretext to contain the country\u2019s economic rise.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Apple drops WhatsApp, Threads from China app store on official order: report
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#Apple #drops #WhatsApp #Threads #China #app #store #official #order #report<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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