Apple Says It Was Ordered to Pull WhatsApp From China App Store

Technology|Apple Says It Was Ordered to Pull WhatsApp From China App Store

Apple said it pulled the Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from its app store successful China connected Friday connected authorities orders, perchance escalating the warfare implicit exertion betwixt the United States and China.

The House of Representatives was preparing to vote connected a bill arsenic soon arsenic this play that would unit the Chinese net institution ByteDance to merchantability its fashionable video app TikTok oregon person it beryllium banned successful the United States. U.S. lawmakers person said TikTok poses a information menace due to the fact that of its ties to China.

Apple said that China’s net regulator, the Cyberspace Administration, ordered the removal of WhatsApp and Threads from its app store due to the fact that of nationalist information concerns. Apple said that it complied.

“We are obligated to travel the laws successful the countries wherever we operate, adjacent erstwhile we disagree,” an Apple spokesperson said.

A Meta spokesperson directed requests for remark to Apple. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Apple’s removal of the apps.

China has agelong blocked American apps and exertion companies, including Facebook and Instagram, which are besides owned by Meta. WhatsApp, 1 of the world’s astir fashionable messaging services, and Threads were not utilized wide successful China, which has an elaborate strategy to artifact overseas apps and websites wrong its borders, known arsenic the Great Firewall. In China, WhatsApp is dwarfed by WeChat, the Chinese-owned messaging app.

Still, until Friday, Chinese users were capable to download WhatsApp and usage it with the assistance of a virtual backstage network, oregon VPN, which are utilized to acceptable up unafraid web connections and presumption prohibited contented wrong China.

This is simply a processing story. Check backmost for updates.