Apple has agreed to pull virtual private network (VPN) services from the local version of its app store in China, reports Reuters. VPNs let users in China bypass the country’s "Great Firewall" that severely restricts access to foreign sites and Beijing passed laws at the start of this year with a view to banning all VPNs that are not approved by state regulators. In a statement, an Apple spokeswoman confirmed it will remove apps that don't comply with the law from its China App Store, including services based outside the country.
The move has drawn criticism from VPN service providers because it marks the first time Apple has complied with requests to remove overseas providers from its store. However, China users with billing addresses in other countries will still be able to access VPN apps from other branches of the App Store and users are still able to manually install them using VPN support built into Apple's operating system, said the report.
