2024-04-28 22:56:37
A couple of hours ago, Apple announced that it had removed the WhatsApp messenger and the Threads application (owned by Meta*) from its AppStore in China, Day.Az reports with reference to Reuters.
Of course, Apple did this not of its own free will, but because the Chinese government said so, citing national security reasons.
“The Cyberspace Administration of China has ordered the removal of these apps from the Chinese store based on national security concerns. We are required to comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate, even if we disagree with them,” the statement said.
As reported by Reuters, some experts in the Chinese tech industry said the situation may be related to a new rule passed last August that requires all apps available in China to be registered with a government registry or risk being removed. However, other Meta applications from the Chinese AppStore have not gone away.
Let us remember that in the United States, some time ago, there was again talk about the need to completely block TikTok, and the House of Representatives even passed the bill necessary for this.