Apple takes down 25,000 illegal apps from App Store China

苹果从中国App Store下架2.5万个非法应用 – The Wall Street Journal China (paywall)

What happened: China’s state media CCTV has reported that Apple has taken down 25,000 illegal gambling apps from their Chinese App Store. Apple has not confirmed the number but announced today that the company also blocked developers who attempted to distribute gambling apps in China. Gambling is illegal in the country.

Why it’s important: This is not the first time Apple has come under government scrutiny in China. Last July, Apple was forced to remove “all major VPN apps” from the China app store. In January, the China app store pulled The New York Times apps in compliance with the authorities’ request.