China's Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is taking concrete steps to enforce new regulations aimed at expanding its authority over mobile apps. They've begun by releasing the names of the initial group of app stores that have adhered to the new rules, which require the submission of business details.
Major tech players such as Tencent, Huawei, Ant Group, Baidu, Xiaomi, and Samsung have all complied by submitting the necessary filings. Notably, Apple's App Store is absent from this list.
China has been steadily tightening its grip on smartphone and mobile app usage, with recent regulations demanding that app stores and mobile apps furnish business information to the government. These measures are causing growing concerns in the tech industry, as they could create formidable hurdles for app developers seeking to enter the Chinese market, potentially resulting in the removal of numerous apps.
The CAC initiated these regulations last year, obliging app stores to disclose business information and take responsibility for any illicit content found within apps. In August of this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice, setting a deadline for mobile apps to complete their filing by the end of March.
Companies like Tencent and Huawei have already begun implementing these rules on their app stores. However, Apple has not yet revealed its strategy for complying with Beijing's regulations. Experts speculate that this could lead to the removal of tens of thousands of apps from Apple's App Store in China.
