Skype removed from all app stores in China

Flickr/Tsahi Levent-Levi.

Skype joins the long list of foreign communication tools hit by China's laws

In another blow for foreign-run online communication tools, messaging and calling app Skype has been removed from online stores in China.

According to a report by The New York Times, Skype was removed after running afoul of local cybersecurity laws. 'We have been notified by the Ministry of Public Security that a number of voice over internet protocol apps do not comply with local law,' detailed an Apple spokesperson in a statement to the Times. 'Therefore these apps have been removed from the app store in China.'

However, it’s not just Apple’s app store that Skype has vanished from, but also major third-party Android stores such as those run by Huawei and Xiaomi. Implemented back in June, the cybersecurity law cited in Apple’s statement allows the Chinese government to block messaging apps without outright banning their services. In this case, Skype as a program still works in China, while being ‘temporarily removed’ (according to a Microsoft spokesperson) from all online stores – that is, until Apple can sort out a way to circumvent the new cybersecurity law.

Skype’s removal from app stores reflects Apple’s continued attempts to stay in China’s good graces. In July, Apple faced fierce criticism after removing VPN services from its China app store. Two months prior, they also removed iBooks and iTunes Movies.

For now, Skype still operates in China. However, whether it’ll join the long list of communication tools rendered unusable by China’s Great Firewall (Whatsapp, Gmail, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter) remains to be seen.

To read about the removal of VPNs from app stores, hit '阅读原文'.

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