WhatsApp, Threads

Apple must delete US apps from Chinese store

The Chinese government has ordered Apple to remove the WhatsApp messenger service from its app store in China. Apple emphasized on Thursday that it was forced to comply with the laws of the countries in which it operates. Facebook's Threads app, which competes with Elon Musk's Twitter successor X, was also removed from the download platform.

The Chinese internet regulatory authority cited national security concerns when issuing the order, the iPhone company told the Wall Street Journal and others.

WhatsApp and Threads can only be used in China via VPN services anyway, which redirect data traffic so that it appears to come from another country. Western communication apps are blocked in the country itself. However, some of them, such as WhatsApp, could at least be downloaded from the App Store onto the devices. Removing them closes a loophole in the so-called Great Firewall of China, which the government in Beijing uses to control access to information on the internet.

Strained relationship
Relations between the US and China are currently tense - including when it comes to apps. A bill is on its way through the US Congress to force a change in ownership of the popular video app TikTok. The parent company Bytedance is regarded in the USA as a Chinese company with headquarters in Beijing. TikTok rejects this - and points to a majority stake held by international investors.

At the same time, the Chinese government expressed outrage at the political pressure for a change of ownership. The corresponding US law has passed the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate, the second chamber of Congress, where it could also be passed in the near future.