Apple users in China will no longer be able to locate or download Meta’s Threads or WhatsApp from the App Store, according to reports from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
According to Engadget, which cited both newspapers, the firm was required by China’s Cyberspace Administration, the country’s internet regulator, to withdraw the apps from the App Store.
Apple stated that it is “obligated to follow the laws in the countries where [it operates], even when [it disagrees]” due to China’s national security concerns.
Over the years, China’s Great Firewall has prohibited a number of websites, applications, and technology within the nation; yet, people in China, like in many other countries, utilize VPNs to access these resources.
WhatsApp and Threads were still accessible to users even after Meta’s Facebook and Instagram were previously disabled.
The US Senate vote that might lead to a ban on TikTok, a Chinese parent firm, coincides with the Chinese internet regulator’s ruling.
The national security of both China and the United States is threatened by the applications, which is why both countries have banned them.
ByteDance, the parent firm of TikTok, has been given a year to sell the video-sharing site thanks to the current bill. TikTok will be removed from app stores if it doesn’t succeed.
