Apple said it removed WhatsApp and Threads, two apps owned by Meta, from its app store in China on Friday following government orders, potentially escalating a technology war between the United States and China.
The iPhone maker said China’s Cyberspace Administration ordered WhatsApp and Threads removed from its app store over national security concerns. Apple said it complied because “we have an obligation to follow the laws of the countries where we do business, even if we disagree.”
When asked for comment, a Meta spokesperson referred questions to Apple. The Wall Street JournalEarlier reportsNews about Apple removing these apps.
The Chinese government has found content on WhatsApp and Threads about Chinese President Xi Jinping that is not only inflammatory but also violates the country’s cybersecurity laws, said a person familiar with the matter, who said he did not know the specific details of the content.
advertise
Several other global messaging apps were also removed from Apple’s China App Store on Friday, including U.S.-based Signal and Dubai-based Telegram, according to Appfigures, a market research firm that analyzes the digital economy. Signal had no immediate comment and Telegram did not respond to a request for comment.
The move entangles Apple and Meta in the growing technology dispute between the U.S. and China.In the United States, the House of Representatives is preparing to pass a bill as early as this weekend.VotingThe bill would force Chinese internet company ByteDance to sell its popular video app TikTok or face a ban in the United States. U.S. lawmakers say TikTok poses a security threat because of its ties to China. Chinese officialsCondemnedPractices to force TikTok to sell.
The White House has also recently worked to limit Beijing’s access to advanced technology that could be used in warfare and expand restrictions on U.S. funding used to finance the development of such technology within China. Beijing has responded by banning memory chips produced by U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology and taking steps to restrict sales by other U.S. chip companies.
China has long blocked U.S. apps and tech companies, including Facebook and Instagram, which are also owned by Meta. WhatsApp is one of the world’s most popular messaging services, while Threads is not widely used in China, which has a complex system for blocking foreign apps and websites within its borders.the so-called Great Firewall. In China, WhatsApp is not as widely used as WeChat.
Still, Chinese users are able to download WhatsApp and use it with the help of a virtual private network (VPN), which can be used to establish a secure network connection and view content that is banned within China.
Apple has been more exposed than most to rising tensions between the U.S. and China. The company became one of the world’s most valuable public companies by tapping into China’s vast labor force and manufacturing prowess to make iPhones and then sell those devices to China’s growing middle class. Apple now gets a fifth of its annual sales from China, which exceeded $68 billion last year.
advertise
Apple has bowed to Beijing’s demands for years, blocking a range of apps, including newspapers, VPNs and encrypted messaging services. It has also built a data center in China to store Chinese citizens’ iCloud information, including personal contacts, photos and emails.
As Sino-US relations deteriorated, Apple began to seek to diversify its supply chain and began assembling iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches in India and Vietnam.
Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Asia this week, visiting suppliers in Vietnam and discussing building a factory there with the Indonesian president.
For Meta, the impact of worsening U.S.-China relations may be less immediate because many of its apps are already banned in China. Still, Meta makes money from Chinese companies like Temu and Shein that pay to run ads on Instagram and Facebook.
Meta and Apple have long maintainedUnharmonious corporate relationsApple has imposed tighter restrictions on the types of tracking other companies can do on its devices, severely limiting Meta’s ability to gain insight into the behavior of users of its digital advertising business. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly stated that he believes Apple’s privacy guidelines are too strict.
In the United States, the campaign against TikTok has intensified in recent days, with House Speaker Mike Johnson introducing a package of bills that would force ByteDance to sell the app, as well as other measures targeting Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.Foreign Aidbill.
advertise
House lawmakers are expected to vote on his package of bills on Saturday. If passed, the measures targeting TikTok would be sent to the Senate as a single bill, which could vote on it soon. President Biden has said he would sign the TikTok bill into law if it passes both chambers.