Apple removes Threads and WhatsApp from the Chinese App Store

Apple removed WhatsApp and Threads from China's Cyberspace Administration of China, following a request for national security reasons, following Meta's ownership.

Following a request from the Chinese government to ban WhatsApp and Threads for "national security" grounds, Apple did just that. Apple said that it had removed the two apps, which were both owned by Meta, Facebook's parent company, at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China. This organization is in charge of policing and monitoring China's severely limited internet and online material.

China's Great Firewall restricts access to international apps and websites like WhatsApp, but VPNs can bypass restrictions. Apple customers with iCloud accounts outside China can still download Threads and WhatsApp. The Communist Party enforces strict internet regulations, including censorship of sensitive content and communication monitoring, despite restrictions on social media use. It has put forth measures aimed at minimizing the amount of time kids spend online.

What the administration's concerns about national security pertained to was unclear. Before a US parliamentary vote on a bill that would require the Chinese business ByteDance to sell TikTok or risk it being banned from the US market, WhatsApp and Threads were removed. Lawmakers have been pushing for a ban on TikTok or a change in the company's ownership, citing national security worries about China's influence on the American public and its retention of user data from US citizens.