Apple has come under new pressure from China’s government to limit access to Western apps, such as Facebook or Instagram, on the iPhones in the country.
Officials told Apple staff in a recent meeting that the tech giant must implement rules banning unregistered foreign apps from the Chinese version of its app store, according to the Wall Street Journal.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: WHAT WILL BE OPEN AND WHAT WILL BE CLOSED
While China has historically blocked access to Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and X, the App Store often acted as a loophole in the country’s “Great Firewall” that allowed Chinese users access to the forbidden platforms. Chinese users previously breached the country’s content restrictions by using virtual private networks, software that connects users with the internet in another country. This method allowed users to access major Western social media platforms despite the country banning them.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and X have been collectively downloaded more than 170 million times in China, according to analytics firm SensorTower.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology added new restrictions on Western apps starting two months ago. The apps in question are now expected to register with the Chinese government, which would subject them to the country’s data transfer and censorship requirements. Analysts do not expect the companies to comply, meaning Apple will be required to either remove them or face legal penalties for hosting them.
Apple has always had a complicated relationship with China. The country accounts for a significant portion of its annual sales and is its primary manufacturer. This has forced the company to abide by the country’s restrictive regime. The mobile phone developer removed apps from the China story at Beijing’s request in the past, including thousands of video games removed in 2020 after the government limited games without government licenses. It also made a secret $275 billion deal over several years to evade the country’s technological restrictions.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The country cracked down on the use of iPhones by government employees in early September.
The company has also been forced to suppress information about protests over Chinese President Xi Jinping’s zero-COVID strategy. Western apps like X have also proven integral for protesters since they offered an uncensored platform to post videos and images of the protests without fear of the Chinese government taking the posts down.
