Apple Takes Down WhatsApp And Other Popular Messaging Apps From Chinese App Store
Topline
Apple took down several popular messaging apps—including Meta’s WhatsApp—from the iPhone’s Chinese App Store on Friday to comply with an order from authorities in Beijing.
Meta’s WhatsApp was among several messaging apps removed from Apple’s Chinese App Store on Friday.
Key Facts
The company told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, that the takedowns resulted from an order by Chinese authorities who flagged certain apps for posing “national security concerns.”
Although Apple did not specify the list of flagged apps, it also took down Meta’s Threads along with messaging apps Signal, Line and Telegram from its digital storefront in China.
The company also said it was “obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.”
Citing a person briefed on the matter, the New York Times reported that Chinese authorities had found “inflammatory” content on WhatsApp and Threads about the country’s President Xi Jinping—that violated China’s stringent online censorship rules.
What We Don’t Know
All the messaging apps targeted by Friday’s takedown offered end-to-end encryption for chats or calls between users. This form of encryption would have limited Chinese authorities’ ability to monitor and censor content shared on the apps. It is unclear if this played a role in the decision. Apple’s own messaging apps, iMessage and Facetime, also use end-to-end encryption. However, iCloud user data in China is handled by a local firm, and the cryptographic keys needed to access them are stored in China.
What To Watch For
Over the coming weekend, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to vote on a bill that could lead to TikTok getting banned in the U.S. Lawmakers across both the Democratic and Republican parties have argued that TikTok poses a national security threat. The legislation would require TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. Chinese authorities have criticized the push to force TikTok’s sale. In March, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: “If so-called national security reasons can be used to willfully suppress other countries’ superior companies, there would be no fairness to speak of.”
Further Reading
China Orders Apple to Remove Popular Messaging Apps (Wall Street Journal)
Source link
