According to TechCrunch on July 30, 2017, Apple has removed all major VPN apps from the App Store in China.

VPN apps have been helping Internet users in China overcome the tentacled censorship system.

ExpressVPN, a VPN provider, made the revelation in a blog post that “all major VPN apps” including its own had been purged from Apple’s China-based store.

ExpressVPN wrote:

“We’re disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date, and we are troubled to see Apple aiding China’s censorship efforts. ExpressVPN strongly condemns these measures, which threaten free speech and civil liberties.”

ExpressVPN also shared a note from Apple explaining that its app was removed because “it includes content that is illegal in China.”

A highly significant move by Beijing

Purging VPN apps from the App Store is a highly significant move for Beijing and a major setback for a free Internet in China.

VPNs enable China-based individuals to bypass state censorship controls to access the Internet without restrictions.

But this latest purge has been some time coming.

In January 2017, the Chinese government required VPNs to receive government approval in order to operate.

This new rule appears to be why Apple was forced to remove ExpressVPN and other similar ones.

Making Apple remove apps from its store is an effective way for Beijing to enforce censorship, since the US firm controls what apps are available in China.

[related_story]

Great Firewall of China increasingly sophisticated

Bloomberg previously reported that China's mobile operators had been told to ban VPN apps by early 2018. The government denies this.

Reuters reported in early July that VPN services had been hit by the most sophisticated attacks from China to date, while high-end hotels have even ceased offering VPNs to guests.

In the same month in July 2017, WhatsApp users found that they were unable to send videos and photos through the app.

WeChat, China’s most popular messaging service, experienced similar issues.

News of the death of dissident Liu Xiaobo, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, who lost a battle to liver cancer earlier this month having been denied permission to leave custody to seek medical treatment overseas, is believed to have triggered the tightened censorship.

But going as far back as earlier this year, China had already made Apple remove the New York Times app from the Chinese App Store.

A number of international news sites, including the Chinese version of Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Singapore's Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao were blocked in China.

It is unclear if similar action has been taken for Android apps as the Google Play Store is not available in China.

Only a handful of third-party app stores distribute Android apps.

H/T TechCrunch

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