The apps we use today collect vast amounts of data from all of their users, mostly it's to provide the best service they can. However, that doesn't change the fact that it could be a security concern. Such is the predicament for both China and the US.
Apple Ordered to Remove Meta Apps in China
With tensions rising between the two countries, the iPhone maker said that it was ordered to remove the mentioned Meta apps from China's app store due to national security concerns, similar to how the US sees TikTok being used by its citizens.
The order came from China's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration. Apple had no choice but to comply, saying that they are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where they operate, even if they disagree, as mentioned in The New York Times.
According to someone familiar with the situation, the Chinese government found inflammatory content about the country's president, Xi Jinping, which was a violation of the country's cybersecurity laws, although what the content contained was never disclosed.
Despite that information, an Apple spokesperson denied that inflammatory content was the reason why the Chinese government had the apps taken down. In fact, the Meta apps were not the only ones that were removed from China' app store.
Other messaging apps like Signal and Telegram were also pulled from the app store recently. It was no surprise considering that China has already blocked other apps that were deemed too risky such as Facebook and Instagram.
While it might be a loss for some users in the country, WhatsApp and Threads aren't exactly widely used apps in China. The country mostly uses WeChat when it comes to messaging apps, which is owned by a Chinese internet company called Tencent.
Tensions Grow Between China and the US
After the first bill aiming to ban the app in the US failed to gain traction in the Senate, another has taken its place with the House of Representatives set to vote on it soon. The new version will give TikTok more time to decide, but could still ultimately lead to a complete ban.
The legislation is attached to an aid package for Ukraine and Israel, which TikTok said was unfortunate as the House is "using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans."
In addition to that, the company also said that it would "devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually." The new legislation will now give a nine-month period of consideration for the divestiture instead of six, as per CNET.
The vote is already scheduled to happen on Saturday, and then the Senate would have to decide before it gets passed to the US President. According to some sources, the Senate's turn to review and decide could come as early as next week.
