Apple users in China will no longer be able to find and download WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The company said it was removing the apps from the store to comply with orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the internet regulator.based on about [its] It causes national security concerns.” He explained to publications that “he has to follow the laws of the countries he is in. [it operates]even [it disagrees].”
The Great Firewall of China blocks many non-native apps and technologies in the country, prompting locals to use a VPN if they want to access any of them. Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are two of those apps, but WhatsApp and Threads are still available for download. The Chinese regulator’s order comes shortly before the Senate is preparing to vote on the bill This could lead to a TikTok ban in the US. The Cyberspace Administration’s rationale — that the apps are a national security concern — even echoes arguments by American lawmakers to block TikTok in the country.
In the current version of the bill, ByteDance would have a year to abandon TikTok, or the short-form video-sharing platform would be banned from app stores. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the bill as part of a package that also includes aid to Ukraine and Israel. President Joe Biden said before said that he supports the package and will sign the bills immediately.
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