Roger Fingas
Apple has removed virtual private network (VPN) apps from the Chinese App Store, apparently complying with a broader government crackdown on VPN technology.
Developer ExpressVPN received a notification about its app's removal early on Saturday, according to a blog post. The firm said that checks showed "all major" VPN apps have been pulled, although people using App Stores based outside China should be unaffected, even if they're residing in the country.
The Chinese government recently began shutting down unauthorized VPNs, which were one of the few ways people could circumvent the country's "Great Firewall" censorship technology. Indeed a group of new cybersecurity laws have come into effect, for instance requiring foreign companies with Chinese user data to store it on local servers.
Earlier this month Apple launched its first Chinese data center in cooperation with Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry, precisely for the sake of complying.
ExpressVPN's notification.Sudden removals — or crippled services — can be an occasional cost of doing business in China. Facebook's WhatsApp was recently hobbled by the Great Firewall for instance, and in January Apple was forced to pull the New York Times app.
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51 Comments
Chuck Fina!
It isn’t up to Apple to tell a sovereign people how to run their country. If the people of China don’t like being censored, then it’s up to them to end it. Frankly, Apple has given the people of China far more of a chance for real freedom than I ever dreamed possible. The same can be said for the world in general.
These sad sack opinionizers really don’t have a clue….
Apple needs to design a phone for the Chinese market that provides the ultimate in state security. All calls are automatically routed through government computers that record and store the call for later analysis, and random calls are actively monitored in real time. Same for texts and posts to social media. Browser activity is similarly monitored. Find My Friends is renamed Find Our Enemies and is locked on with results shown on a huge map at state security headquarters. The pro model contains a small plastic explosive charge that can be triggered to blow the head off a caller if judged to be an imminent threat. Phone comes in red only, for good luck, and party pride.
I'm not sure if Apple is actually being criticized for following Chinese government-mandated regulations. No company should go into a country and try to change the government's policies. If Chinese iOS users are upset with this then they need to go out into the streets and demonstrate against their own government's policies if they have the balls to do that. China isn't a democracy and I'm sure Apple has foreseen something like this happening. Apple is basically a guest in that country and is subject to the whims of the government as any foreign business would be.
I honestly can't believe that critics feel Apple should simply pull out of China and stop ALL business with China because of this 'no VPN apps' policy. I don't see how that helps anyone. Apple would then have to abandon all current iOS hardware users and lose all the money they invested in China. That's just plain stupid. It's true Apple has to kiss Chinese butt, but it's better than losing tens of billions of dollars and loyal customers.
Apple needs China far more than China needs Apple. Apple can't depend on Americans anymore who would just as soon buy some cheap smartphone from China and S. Korea rather than support a domestic brand. I'm sure there must be some other way to get a VPN app on an iPhone without going through the Apple App Store. Surely it must be possible to sideload apps on an iPhone even if it requires some jailbreak.
They don't seem to have any problem pushing their ideals when it makes for good publicity.
The PR-op in this case, wouldn't outweigh the sales loss... and from the looks of some of the comments here, freedom has already been lost. It's just a matter of time before the West heads more towards China.