A Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), may be forced to remove North American social media apps from its online store in China, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Cupertino technology company may be forced to “implement rules strictly” that prohibit unregistered foreign apps, such as Facebook. Instagram. WhatsApp and X (formerly known as Twitter).
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These Chinese measures were announced in July and, according to the publication, Apple executives have been meeting with Chinese government officials regarding the matter. The Chinese government's objective is "combat online scams, pornography and the circulation of information that violates China's censorship rules", says The Wall Street Journal.
Even though these social networks are banned by the Chinese government, the existence of apps on the App Store allows internet users to use VPNs to circumvent the rules and continue to have access to the platforms. In total, the Apple Store is believed to have more than a thousand unregistered foreign apps, which may now be affected by this Chinese decision.
