Chinese regulators remove TripAdvisor, 104 other apps from online stores for ‘illegal’ content
- The Cyberspace Administration of China’s latest crackdown on apps is part of Beijing’s ongoing efforts to clean up domestic internet content
- The move was made in response to complaints by Chinese internet users about the spread of various ‘illegal’ content and services online
The internet regulator said the removed apps were found to have violated several laws and regulations, without providing details on each app’s offence.
The other offending apps on the CAC’s blacklist include Sugar, a social media platform for Gen Z users, and cartoon app 51 Manhua.
TripAdvisor did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
China’s cyber watchdog cracks down on local browsers, targeting self-media accounts that spread rumours and information ‘chaos’
The CAC’s latest move comes more than a month after its crackdown on popular local mobile browsers, in an attempt to better control what it described as information “chaos” in China’s cyberspace.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the ruling Communist Party has tightened its grip on the internet and censored content deemed unsuitable, including pornography, gambling, fake news and political dissent.
TripAdvisor ranked 150th among all travel apps found on Apple’s China App Store as of December 5, according to the latest data from mobile analytics site App Annie.
The CAC said it has also suspended downloads from eight small app stores, including MyDown and Ruanjiandi, which were found to have distributed illegal apps.
