The iPhone maker confirmed Friday that the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator, ordered the removal of the apps citing national security concerns. Although Apple didn’t specify which apps it removed, analytics company Appfigures said WhatsApp, Threads, Signal and Telegram are no longer in the app store. Meta, which owns WhatsApp and Threads, referred a request for comment to Apple.
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” the company said in a statement.
The incident comes as the U.S. government attempts to reduce the use of China-made technologies in the United States, citing security reasons — efforts that may provoke financial costs to U.S. companies, as Beijing launches tit-for-tat crackdowns. With four times as many consumers as the United States, China is one of the largest sources of revenue for many U.S. tech companies, including Apple.
U.S. messaging apps like WhatsApp have long been in the crosshairs of China’s web regulators. The apps are widely used in China by political dissidents to circulate criticisms of the Chinese government and to organize protests — the kinds of messages that would be censored if sent on Chinese messaging apps like WeChat. Chinese officials have long asserted that this dissent is not 100 percent grassroots, but also fanned by foreign governments with the aim of weakening China’s government, a claim that is hard to prove or disprove.
Chinese consumers are limited by tight regulations concerning political expression, preventing opposition to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. China’s government firewall already blocked access to WhatsApp, although users could use the app with the help of virtual private networks, or VPNs. Now, the apps won’t be available for download.
The immediate spark for this week’s clampdown remains unclear.
There has been growing momentum in recent months in Washington to ban TikTok, with the House voting to approve legislation that would impose a ban if TikTok cannot find new ownership on short notice, and President Biden saying he would sign it into law if it came to his desk.
The Cyberspace Administration of China did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.
Lyric Li contributed to this report.
