Why Apple removed the New York Times from its app store in China
The move came one month after the Cyberspace Administration of China called for greater media scrutiny to prevent听social disorder,听moral harm, and threats to national security.
The move came one month after the Cyberspace Administration of China called for greater media scrutiny to prevent听social disorder,听moral harm, and threats to national security.
The New York Times's apps can no longer be found in the Apple app store in China.听
Apple removed both the English- and Chinese-language apps late last month at the request of Chinese authorities, according to the Times.听The apps had allowed readers听in mainland China to access Times articles without needing to use a Virtual Private Network, or a VPN,听to sidestep China's censorship apparatus after the听government began blocking the Times鈥檚 websites in 2012.听
"For some time now the New York Times app has not been permitted to display content to most users in China and we have been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations," said Fred Sainz, an Apple spokesman, as reported by the Times. "As a result, the app must be taken down off the China App Store. When this situation changes, the App Store will once again offer the New York Times app for download in China."听
The move came one month after the Cyberspace Administration of China called for greater media scrutiny to prevent听social disorder, moral harm, and threats to national security. Amnesty International said Apple's compliance with the Chinese authorities in removing the New York Times apps fits into a broader, growing trend of听big tech companies enabling China to crack down on free speech, according to CNN.听
"China has a very particular view of how the Internet should be run: under a heavy government thumb," Peter Ford reported for 海角大神 in December 2015 from Beijing:
The Times had asked Apple to reconsider its decision, to no avail.听
"The听request by the Chinese authorities听to remove our apps is part of their wider attempt to prevent readers in China from accessing independent news coverage by The New York Times of that country, coverage which is no different from the journalism we do about every other country in the world," Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman in New York, said in a statement.听
A spokesman for Apple declined on comment on what local regulations the Times apps reportedly violated, who had contacted Apple and when, and whether a court order or other legal document had been presented, according to the Times.听
Patrick Poon, a researcher with Amnesty International, told CNN he found it "extremely worrying听that Apple is kowtowing to China's censorship by deleting New York Times apps."听
Chinese mainstream media has not reported the app removal, although the move was discussed by many on social media.听
"This must be coming from the request of The Wall right?" one web user wrote on the microblogging service Weibo, in reference to state-backed internet censorship. "Apple has made enough money in China, it's OK for it to take the blame this time for the sake of the money."
Apps from other international news outlets whose websites have been blocked in China, including those of听the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal,听and CNN, were still available on the App Store in China as of Thursday.
This report contains material from Reuters.听