Apple Inc. has removed WhatsApp and Threads, owned by Meta, from the app store in mainland China on Friday (April 19) following a request from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This move is the latest example of CCP’s tightening control and censorship over the internet.
In an email statement to Reuters, Apple stated that China’s highest internet regulatory body requested the company to take down these apps due to national security concerns. A company spokesperson mentioned in the statement, “Even if we disagree, we have an obligation to comply with the laws of the country where we operate.”
Apple also mentioned that WhatsApp and Threads are still available for download in other countries.
Some Chinese tech experts suggested that the CCP’s directive regarding WhatsApp and Threads could be related to a new regulation introduced last August. This regulation requires all available apps in China to register with the Chinese government, or else they risk being taken down. The registration deadline was the end of March, and the regulation came into effect on April 1.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple employees had discussions with relevant CCP departments about how these regulations would be implemented and expressed concerns about the impact on their users. Subsequently, Apple was instructed to strictly enforce these regulations.
The parent company of these two apps, Meta, when approached for comments, redirected the inquiries back to Apple for response.
On the same day, instant messaging platforms Signal, Telegram, and Line also faced removal from the app store.
For a long time, the CCP has been blocking American apps and tech companies, including Facebook and Instagram, which are also owned by Meta. Apple has taken a series of actions in China to align with the CCP’s increasingly stringent censorship system and tightening data security regulations.
In 2017, Apple faced criticism for removing dozens of VPN apps from the Chinese app store. In 2020, after Chinese officials cracked down on unlicensed game software, Apple also removed thousands of game apps. Last year, Apple was forced to take down applications similar to ChatGPT when creating local regulations for generative artificial intelligence (AI) services in Beijing.
China is Apple’s largest overseas market. According to data from the International Data Corporation, last year, Apple was the largest smartphone manufacturer in the Chinese market, holding a market share of over 17%.
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