Apple announced that Meta apps WhatsApp and Threads have been removed from the Chinese App Store. According to WSJ sources, the Chinese government ordered the company to remove these applications from its store, citing national security reasons. Apple assured in a statement to Reuters that they were forced to do this even without reaching an agreement.

WhatsApp and Threads left the App Store in China. Accessing WhatsApp in China was an impossible task unless we used methods such as a VPN connection. In fact, the app has been blocked since 2017, first partially blocked, then becoming part of the ‘Great Firewall’. Despite this, the application was hosted on Apple servers and could be downloaded. The same thing happened with Threads: Meta apps like Instagram were only accessible via VPN, but they were still available in the App Store.

Apple has now announced that both WhatsApp and Threads have been removed from the App Store. It will not be possible to download them without a VPN connection, as they are not hosted on the Chinese App Store.

According to the WSJ, these are not the only apps removed from the Apple Store, they also had to remove Signal and Telegram, two of the most used messaging apps in the world.

National security reasons. According to Apple’s statement to Reuters, the China Cyberspace Administration ordered the withdrawal of these applications for national security reasons. “We must comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate, even if we disagree with them,” the company states.

No further details were disclosed about the trigger that led Chinese regulators to issue the withdrawal order.

‘The Great Chinese Firewall’. The Great Firewall of China, owned by the Ministry of Public Security, is a censorship tool that prevents citizens from accessing information and websites that question government regimes.

The most popular applications in Europe, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram or Instagram, are completely blocked and can only be accessed with a VPN that connects us to networks outside the country.

Apple under China’s supervision. Although this move seems to target messaging applications rather than Apple, the Chinese government’s target is the American company. In January of this year, we heard about Chinese technological developments that would enable the identification of senders of messages sent by AirDrop.

This Apple protocol for sending files and information over short distances is playing an important role for anti-government protesters who are currently exploring how to attack it.dissemination of inappropriate comments and possible ill effects.

Picture | Radiowood

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