Proactive Investors - Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC) has been ordered to remove Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, ETR:FB2A, SWX:FB)-owned messaging app WhatsApp and social media platform Threads from its App Store in China due to national security concerns.
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” Apple said in a statement.
“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns. These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.”
Per a Wall Street Journal report citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter, WhatsApp and Threats were removed from the China App Store due to political content, including “problematic mentions” of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Apple told the publication that this was not part of the reason why it removed the apps.
Meta’s apps were already blocked in China and not widely used. They could be accessed in the country using a virtual private network, which disguises the user by encrypting their data.
According to data from app tracking firms Quimai and AppMagic, another two messaging apps have been removed from the China App Store, Signal and Telegram.
Apple has not confirmed the removal of these two apps.
Signal president Meredith Whittaker told TechCrunch that Signal was already blocked in China by its Great Firewall, suggesting that whether the app is available for download or not makes little difference as users in China are unable to register or send messages.
“While Signal may have been available to download in the past, Signal registrations and messages are apparently blocked,” she said.
Other popular Western apps including Meta-owned Facebook (NASDAQ:META), Instagram and Messenger and Youtube and X remain availbe on the China App Store, according to checks on Friday by media companies.
Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) traded lower in early trade, down 0.9% at about $165.