You will no longer find WhatsApp, Thread, Signal and Telegram on the App Store in China. The Apple brand responded to a request from Chinese authorities who claim that these applications present a risk to the country’s security.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stéphane Lagarde
This injunction from Beijing follows the vast cleaning campaign launched by the Chinese regulator last year, with the mission of cleaning up applications not yet registered, but available on national online stores.
The information of Wall Street Journal this Friday, April 19, triggered a mini wave of checks among the informed minority, in this case rather young, English-speaking, urban people who use these encrypted applications when they need to communicate discreetly.
Screenshots to support it, the verification did not last long: WhatsApp, Signal, Threads, Telegram no longer actually appear in the Chinese version of the App Store and join the very long list of foreign applications and sites banned in China. Applications only accessible via a VPN, which allows you to bypass the great IT wall.
Register applications with the government
Last summer, China required developers to register their apps by the end of March with the government. A measure first justified as a way to counter telephone scams. According to Apple’s emailed statement, “ The Chinese Cyberspace Administration ordered the removal of these apps from the Chinese storefront due to their national security concerns. »
An order immediately followed by the Apple brand: “ We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree », Underlines the press release. This is not the first time that Apple has censorship in China.
“ I love China and the Chinese,” repeated Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO during the inauguration of a new store in Shanghai last month. China remains Apple’s largest market behind the United States and its main manufacturing facility.