Apple Inc. has removed software from its app store in China that allowed users to circumvent the country’s vast system of internet filters.
Apple Inc. has removed software from its app store in China that allowed users to circumvent the country’s vast system of internet filters.
Photo:The Hacker News
Several popular apps giving users access to virtual private networks, or VPNs, that tunnel through China’s sophisticated system of internet filters disappeared from the mainland China version of Apple’s App Store on Saturday.
One service, ExpressVPN, said in a blog post that Apple had notified it that its iOS app was removed from the Chinese App Store. ExpressVPN published a copy of the notice, which said the app included content that was illegal in China.
Screenshot of ExpressVPS’s tweet about Apple’s Notification. Photo:ExpressVPN offical tweet account.
Screenshot of Sart VPNS’s tweet about Apple’s Notification. Photo:Star VPN offical tweet account.
“We’re disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date, and we are troubled to see Apple aiding China’s censorship efforts,” the ExpressVPN blog post said.
Apple later confirmed the removals in a statement, citing new rules that require VPN providers to obtain licenses from regulators.
“We have been required to remove some VPN apps in China that do not meet the new regulations. These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business,” it said.
China’s internet regulators haven’t responded to multiple requests for comment about their regulation of VPNs.
Apple’s move is aimed at helping the company stay on the safe side of a raft of tough new cybersecurity regulations designed to solidify Beijing’s grip on the Chinese internet. Earlier this month, the Cupertino, Calif., technology giant announced that, because of the new rules, it planned to store all of its Chinese customers’ data on servers operated by a government-controlled company.
In the past, Apple has removed individual apps from the Chinese App Store that ran afoul of China’s censors, but it is rare for the company to eliminate several at once.
According to ASO100, a system can automatically detect the removing apps, those apps are suspected of violating the cyber security in China.
Screenshot of aso100.com Photo:Aso100.com
Check the link below to trace more: https://aso100.com/rank/offline/date/2017-07-29/country/cn/genre/6002?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0
China has hundreds of millions of smartphone users and is a vital market for Apple, whose iPhones are wildly popular in the country.
The company unveiled plans earlier this month to build a data centre in China to store its local iCloud customers’ personal details.
China has maintained that its various forms of web censorship are necessary for protecting its national security.
The national VPN crackdown comes after the passing of a controversial cybersecurity bill last November that tightened restrictions on online freedom of speech and imposed new rules on service providers.
