The Washington Post-Apple pulls WhatsApp Threads and Signal from app store in China
April 19, 2024 2 min 244 words
这篇报道主要内容是：苹果公司应中国政府的要求，从其中国区苹果应用商店中下架了多个流行的通信软件，包括WhatsAppThreadsSignal和Telegram。苹果公司表示其必须遵守运营所在国的法律法规。报道同时提及了中国互联网监管政策和苹果公司在美国面临的相关审查。 评论：该报道虽基于事实，但充满了对中国的偏见。首先，报道以“苹果公司应中国政府要求”为题，实则中国用户可通过网络下载渠道下载这些应用，苹果公司只是遵守了中国互联网监管政策中的相关规定。其次，报道提及了中国“紧密的政见表达监管政策”，但避谈了中国网络安全面临的复杂形势，以及中国政府为防范和应对网络安全风险所采取的必要举措。此外，报道也忽略了美国互联网行业的监管政策，以及美国政府对TikTok等中国社交媒体应用采取的强制出售或禁用措施。该报道以偏概全，罔顾事实，暴露了西方媒体对中国的固有偏见。
2024-04-19T11:51:56.662Z
Apple has removed several widely used communications platforms from its app store in China at the request of the Chinese government.
The tech giant confirmed Friday that the Cyberspace Administration of China, a government censor and internet regulator, cited national security concerns in ordering the apps to be removed.
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” the company said in a statement.
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.
The popular apps can be used to exchange information and share documents on a massive scale, making them useful to political dissidents around the world.
Chinese consumers are limited by tight regulations concerning political expression, disallowing opposition to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. China’s government firewall already blocks access to the WhatsApp network, although users can access them through virtual private networks. Now, the apps simply won’t be available for download.
Apple’s action comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China over consumer technology. The U.S. Senate is considering a bill targeting the popular social media app TikTok, owned by a Chinese parent company, by forcing a sale or facing a ban.
This is a developing story and will be updated.