The Asian Age

Skype joins long list of apps on China blacklist

- DAN MARTIN GREAT FIREWALL

◗ China this year also ordered the country’s Internet platforms to verify the true identity of users before letting them post online content

Skype has apparently joined the lengthenin­g list of Internet tools on China’s blacklist, disappeari­ng from download stores with Apple saying Wednesday it was ordered by the government to remove certain apps.

Skype is no longer available for download from the Chinese Apple Store or popular Android sites, with Chinese web- users saying it had been gone for weeks. “We have been notified by the ministry of public security that a number of VoIP ( voice over Internet protocol) apps do not comply with local law, therefore these apps have been removed from the App Store in China,” Apple said in an emailed statement.

“These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business.”

The company did not specify which laws such apps were found to have violated.

China has tightened its already stringent online policing this year, including enacting new rules that require tech companies to store user data inside the country as well as imposing fresh restrictio­ns on what is permissibl­e content.

Chinese authoritie­s appeared to severely disrupt the WhatsApp messaging app as they ratcheted up security ahead of a Communist Party congress in October that saw President Xi Jinping consolidat­e his hold on the country.

The moves have prompted speculatio­n on the Chinese Internet that authoritie­s were moving against services with effective encryption, like WhatsApp and Skype, that make them less vulnerable to government monitoring.

The change does not seem to have affected use of previously downloaded versions of Skype, which appeared to work normally.

Also, Skype Business, a separate app tailored for corporate use, was still available for download in China. Skype’s removal follows Apple’s August decision to strike out so- called VPN apps, or virtual private networks, which allow users to skirt the so- called “Great Firewall of China” system of online censorship. Both cases underscore­d the dilemma faced by US tech companies seeking to uphold principles of web freedom while holding on to their Chinese market shares.

“We would rather not remove the apps, but like in other countries, we obey the laws where we do business,” Apple chief Tim Cook said after the VPN move.

China has for years blocked leading foreign websites or services including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a number of news organisati­ons, largely to prevent content that could challenge party rule.

Slamming the door on foreign tech leaders has allowed Chinese champions like Tencent to prosper in the vacuum.

The market value of the Chinese social media and video game giant surpassed that of Facebook on Tuesday as investors sent Tencent soaring into the world’s top five biggest firms.

By the end of trading Tuesday, Tencent’s Hong Kong- listed shares were worth $ 523 billion, surpassing Facebook’s $ 519 billion at the time.

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