Apple removes New York Times from China App Store after government request

James Titcomb 5 January 2017 • 10:49am

The app was removed on December 23 Credit: AFP

Apple has removed the New York Times app from the Chinese App Store after the government said the publication violated laws.

The company removed the Chinese and English editions of the app last week, saying it had "been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations".

The move is the latest internet crackdown by Chinese authorities in recent years, which has seen the likes of Google and Facebook blocked in the country.

The NYT said it was part of a "wider attempt to prevent readers in China from accessing independent news coverage".

Users were told the app was not available in the Chinese store Credit: Reuters

Apple did not clarify on what legal grounds the app had been removed, but the NYT suggested it was due to regulations introduced in June which outlaw apps that might be "endangering national security, disrupting social order and violating the legitimate rights and interests of others".

It added that the apps were removed shortly before a story was published about perks the Chinese government had given to iPhone assembler Foxconn.

The newspaper's website has been blocked in China since 2012 and many Western publications have struggled to make their material available in the country, although several other US newspaper apps remain available in the country.

Apple is relatively unique among the biggest US tech companies in having a significant presence in China. Some such as Amazon and Uber, have struggled for market share while Facebook, Google and Twitter have declined to censor their websites, leading them to be blocked by officials.

Services such as Google are not available in China Credit: Reuters

The Android equivalent of the App Store, the Google Play Store, does not function in China.

Apple said: "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.

"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."