Apple issues statement regarding removal of VPN apps from China App Store

“Apple has issued a statement regarding [Saturday’s] removal of ‘most major’ VPN apps from the App Store in China,” Matthew Panzarino reports for TechCrunch.

Apple’s full statement is as follows:

Earlier this year China’s MIIT [Ministry of Industry and Information Technology] announced that all developers offering VPNs must obtain a license from the government. We have been required to remove some VPN apps in China that do not meet the new regulations. These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business.

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: A statement of the obvious.

The Internet treats censorship as a malfunction and routes around it. — John Perry Barlow

FYI, as we’re located in the U.S., we use TunnelBear’s VPN service for our Macs, iPhones, and iPads (especially while using public Wi-Fi) which lets you choose from servers located around the world in 20+ countries. TunnelBear offers unlimited data for less than $4.17/month. Importantly, TunnelBear explicitly states, “No logging. TunnelBear does NOT log any activity of users connected to our service. Period.”

SEE ALSO:
Apple removes VPN apps from China App Store – July 29, 2017
Apple sets up China data center to meet new cybersecurity rules – July 12, 2017
Analyst: China iPhone sales are pivotal for Apple – June 26, 2017
In bid to improve censorship, China to summon Apple execs to discuss stricter App Store oversight – April 20, 2017
Will Apple CEO Tim Cook stand up to China over App Store censorship? – April 19, 2017
Beijing cyber regulators to summon Apple over live streaming apps – April 19, 2017
Apple goes on charm offensive in China with red iPhones and a visit by CEO Tim Cook – March 24, 2017
Apple CEO Tim Cook defends globalization, walks tightrope on privacy in rare public speech in China – March 18, 2017
Apple to spend $507 million to set up two more research centers, boost investment in in China – March 17, 2017
Apple removes New York Times apps from App Store in China at behest of Chinese government – January 4, 2017
China dethrones U.S. to become the largest market in the world for iOS App Store revenue – October 20, 2016
Apple to set up second R&D center in China – October 12, 2016
Apple’s first R&D Center in China will develop hardware, employ 500 – September 29, 2016
Apple CEO Cook ‘pretty confident’ of soon resuming movie and book sales in China – May 3, 2016
Apple’s biggest China problem: iPhone’s strong encryption – May 2, 2016
The New Yorker: What Apple has to fear from China – April 30, 2016
Carl Icahn out of Apple over worries about China’s ‘dictatorship’ government – April 29, 2016
China could slam door on Apple, says top global risk expert – April 25, 2016
China’s increasing censorship hits Apple, but Apple might punch back – April 22, 2016
China shutters Apple’s online book and movie services – April 22, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook joins Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’ board of directors – April 6, 2016

7 Comments

    1. proXPN is another ‘Trust No One’ VPN with no logging.

      But could they log anyway? Eventually, logging would come out in a court case as evidence, wrecking a VPN’s reputation. That’s one dissuader from lying about it.

  1. ∑ = Rhetoric to hide the exact same problem: CENSORSHIP for the purpose of maintaining the FAILure that is totalitarianism in China: Criminal Nation. Oh and watch copy cat Russia: Criminal Nation pull the same today. Amoral capitalism capitulates and enables. Not a good idea.

    😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛

  2. Corporate America decided long ago to do business with despots citing fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders. The point where the western world sold out on this was after Tiananmen Square- Poppy Bush decided to side with the ChiComs rather than those audacious enough to demand democratic reforms.

    As a shareholder and customer I would prefer they not do business in or with China or Russia if this is what they want to do.

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