China Tightens Internet Control by Ordering App Store to Remove WhatsApp and Threads

The Chinese government has ordered Apple to remove WhatsApp and Threads from its application store, citing national security reasons. This is due to China’s strict rules on internet monitoring and censorship of content that criticizes state policy or could lead to discontent. Users in China face restrictions on accessing foreign websites, applications, and social networks without tools like VPNs.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the removal of these apps for security reasons, emphasizing the need for compliance with local laws even if they do not necessarily align with them. WhatsApp, an instant messaging app owned by Meta, and Threads, a rival to Twitter also owned by Meta, were both removed from the Chinese version of the App Store on Friday. However, these apps remain downloadable from App Stores outside of mainland China.

While Apple has not responded to requests for comment, other apps like Signal and Telegram were also unavailable in the Chinese version of the App Store on Friday. Despite this, WeChat remains a popular messaging service in China that offers features such as online payments. Threads faces competition from Weibo, a social media platform that has been around since 2009 for posting content.

Apple products are popular in China where the company refrains from taking positions on sensitive issues or offending the Chinese authorities. The CEO of Apple has had meetings with senior Chinese officials in the past. In addition to the removal of these apps from the App Store in China, Apple has also recently added new content covering topics such as robotics, virtuality, financial responsibility, online gambling and various types of firearms for sale.