Crowder Securities Limited - Apple Requests That Apps in Its China Store Comply with Gov't Law

WAN CHAI, Hong Kong - Oct. 4, 2023 - PRLog -- Last Friday, the Cupertino, California-based tech behemoth requested that app developers file a "internet content provider (ICP) filing" if they wanted to launch a new app on its China App Store.

The ICP file is a registration necessary for websites to function lawfully in the nation, and Apple's competitors, including Huawei, have been using it since 2017. The new guidelines, which were announced in August, require app developers to demonstrate that they have a corporation in China or a relationship with a registered firm there.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple executives met with Chinese officials in recent months, who requested that the US tech company "strictly implement" app law prohibiting unregistered foreign apps.

The measures are purportedly being implemented in order to decrease internet frauds, pornography, and the spread of material that violates China's strict censorship laws.

Although Beijing has attempted to tighten its hold on Western social media corporations, their programs may still be accessible through app stores. Western applications like as X, WhatsApp, and Facebook may be affected by the new laws. Chinese users may already utilize virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent China's "Great Firewall," thus the government is working to plug this gap.

More than 1,000 unregistered foreign applications in Apple's App Store might be affected; these apps would need to be withdrawn for Apple to comply with the new law. Apple's income may eventually suffer as a result of its ability to provide a wider range of apps than its domestic competitors. Apple's third-largest market is China, which accounted for $15.7 billion of the company's $81.8 billion in revenue in the third quarter.

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