Apple is joining the likes of Google and Yahoo to self-police its content according to China’s laws. In their case this translates into blocking access to Dalai Lama apps in the Chinese AppStore. Affected iPhone apps include quote apps – Dalai Quotes, Dalai Lama Quotes and Dalai Lama Prayerwheel; Paging Dalai Lama, which tells users where he is currently teaching; and Nobel Laureates, which contains information about Nobel Prize winners including the Dalai Lama.
In addition, an app related to Rebiya Kadeer, an exiled minority leader reviled by China’s authorities, is also inaccessible from the local AppStore.
Commenting on the issue, Apple’s spokeswoman Trudy Muller said: “We continue to comply with local laws. Not all apps are available in every country”
However, what’s strange about the whole “iPhone in China” story is that using mobile apps you can access Twitter and YouTube, two services that are blocked in the country. Go figure.
[Via: PCWorld]