Since 2017, the Chinese government has forced Apple to eliminate VPN applications from the App Store for all iPhone, iPad and Mac users on China. Eight years away, Apple is experiencing a similar problem, this time in India.
So far, a small number of VPN applications have been eliminated to comply with an anti-confidentiality law prohibiting the anonymous use of the Internet, but it is expected that many others will be eliminated soon.
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Hundreds of VPN applications removed in China
The Chinese government has long forbade the use of VPN applications, which many citizens used to avoid online supervision of their activities. In 2017, Apple was forced to eliminate hundreds of VPN applications from the Chinese App Store. At that time, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple had to comply with the law, although he did not agree with this decision, to which he was very reluctant.
We would obviously prefer not to eliminate these applications, but, as we do in other countries, we respect the law wherever we carry out activities. We strongly believe in participating in markets and providing benefits to customers. We hope that, over time, the restrictions we see now will be relaxed.
Apple will remove VPN applications from the App Store and India
India has introduced a new law in 2022 which practically prohibits the anonymous use of VPNs and services, such as Nordvpn, which does not retain user-activity journals.
Although the implementation of the law was initially postponed due to numerous objections, it later entered into force. According to a report, Apple has already begun to eliminate VPN applications from the Indian App Store to comply with this law.
“The rules impose on VPN providers and cloud service operators to keep detailed clients, including names, addresses, IP addresses and transaction history, for a period of five years.
Over seven VPN applications, including Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, were eliminated from the Apple and Google Play Store from India, after the intervention of government authorities, ”said Techcrunch.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of India has issued elimination orders for these applications, according to a document analyzed by Techcrunch and a notification revealed by Google in the Lumen database at Harvard University, which follows government requests globally.
It seems that the government identifies applications that do not comply with the law individually, which makes the process long. However, the final result will probably be similar to that of China, where hundreds of applications have been eliminated. No respectable VPN application will accept to comply with this law, because it would mean losing one of the utilities for which it was designed. Protecting the confidentiality of users.
How does a VPN app on iPhone or iPad work?
A VPN application for iPhone or iPad creates a encrypted tunnel between the user's device and the VPN server, directing traffic through this server before reaching the final destination. This process provides data protection and online anonymity.
Basically, with the prohibition of VPN applications in India, users in this country will no longer be able to benefit from:
1. Protecting online confidentiality By hiding the IP address when accessing the websites, which makes it more difficult to track online activities by Internet providers. Also Internet traffic will no longer be able to be encrypted to not be intercepted, including on public Wi-Fi networks.
2. Accessing geographically restricted content will no longer be possible without VPN applications. Most of the time, a VPN service helps to bypass censorship in countries that block certain sites or applications.
3. Secure the device when connected to public Wi-Fi networks. A VPN service can protect the device against cyber attacks on public Wi-Fi networks, where data is more vulnerable to interception
4. Anonymous online browsing. The VPN service hides the user's identity by assigning another IP address, making it appear to be sailing from another location.
5. Avoid restrictions imposed by the network to which the device is connected. For example, some networks (such as those at work or schools) block access to certain sites or applications. A VPN application can help overcome these restrictions.
Let us not forget that besides China and India, where there are laws that prohibit some VPN services and applications, due to a conflict with the legislation in the European Union, Apple has limited the access of users to many features and functionalities of the IOS 18 and iPados 18 operating system.
Related: Apple Intelligence in Europe. Global promises, but local restrictions.
In conclusion, the Apple decision to eliminate VPN applications from the App Store in India marks a new stage in the global conflict between users confidentiality and government regulations. For users, this measure means a significant limitation of access to essential tools for personal data protection, online anonymity and access to geographically restricted content.
