Apple Blocks VPN Apps From China App Store
Apple has removed all virtual private network (VPN) applications from its App Store in China, its second largest market outside of the U.S., in a move to comply with the country’s stringent cyber regulations. The move has been decried by major VPN providers, who supply services which help users circumvent China’s strict digital censorship systems.
ExpressVPN, a VPN provider whose services were removed on Saturday from the App Store, offered details of the situation in a company press release which voiced strong vitriol towards Apple’s decision.
“We received notification from Apple today, July 29, 2017, at roughly 04:00 GMT, that the ExpressVPN iOS app was removed from the China App Store. Our preliminary research indicates that all major VPN apps for iOS have been removed,” the company said in the statement.
Star VPN, which also provided VPN services on the App Store in China, tweeted that it, too, had been notified that all its apps would be pulled.
