- Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese app store following a government order.
- WhatsApp has been blocked in China since 2017 and its parent company Meta since 2009.
- Other Western platforms like Gmail, YouTube, Snap, and Spotify have also been censored in China.
Apple removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China after being told to do so by the Chinese government, according to the Wall Street Journal.
China’s top internet regulator asked Apple to remove the two apps because of national security concerns.
Surprised that it was allowed in the Chinese app store at all, since it’s completely blocked and unusable without an “illegal” VPN from years and years ago
Btw shooting at their own feet, as Chinese companies don’t have tools to interact with western customers.
The Chinese logic is that they have enough domestic market to isolate themselves and shield from international pressure, economical or political. It’s been working for them since their homegrown platforms like wechat and weibo are big enough to sustain themselves.