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China Bans WhatsApp and Threads Over Security Risks
Regulators in China have ordered Apple Inc to remove WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store claimed the services offered by Meta Platforms posed a security risk.
The order follows a cleansing effort launched by Chinese regulators in 2023, which was intended to eliminate several defunct or unregistered apps from domestic iOS and Android shops.
The action against American Meta Platforms comes as the US government considers banning TikTok, the popular video app from Beijing-based ByteDance. US officials have also raised national security concerns in their push to get the company to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the US market.
“We are required to observe the laws in the nations where we operate, even if we disagree. “The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront due to national security concerns,” Apple stated in a statement. “These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.”
Foreign social media services, such as WhatsApp, were previously mostly inaccessible from China without means to bypass Beijing’s Great Firewall, such as virtual private networks. The withdrawal of these apps will make it more difficult for users in the country to access content from outside sites.
In August, China requested that all mobile app makers register with the authorities by the end of March, citing a desire to combat telephone scams and fraud. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) stated that from April to June, it would conduct oversight on those filings and take action against unregistered applications. App creators would also be expected to establish and enhance systems for dealing with “illegal information”.
The MIIT move was another step in Beijing’s efforts to tighten cyberspace restrictions, requiring local and foreign enterprises to limit access to politically sensitive content. In addition to apps, websites and huge language AI models have faced stricter content restrictions.
China’s move comes as TikTok divestiture legislation is slated to be included in a quick-moving aid package for Ukraine and Israel, which the US Congress is set to approve on this Saturday.
