Amazon Removes Bible and Quran Apps From Apple's App Store In China Due To New 'Permit Requirements'

Amazon.com Inc AMZN on Friday said that it has removed its apps for reading the Bible and Quran in the Mainland China Apple Inc AAPL  App Store after the government instituted “permit requirements.”

What Happened: Amazon’s audiobook service, Audible, announced the removal of the two religious texts as the Chinese government has been ratcheting up internet enforcement activities.

Other developers of Bible and Quran apps have also removed their apps from the Apple Store in China, including Olive Tree Bible Software.

Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu in Washington declined to comment on the removal of specific apps, but issued a statement that China’s government has “always encouraged and supported the development of the Internet,” according to the Associated Press. “At the same time, the development of the Internet in China must also comply with Chinese laws and regulations,” the statement added.

Why It Matters:The removals are the latest steps in China’s more stringent regulations of internet companies. China has so far this year increased supervision of algorithms tech companies which customize content, and limited children’s exposure to video games.

Meanwhile, it’s becoming more difficult for the Chinese population to circumvent these new measures. Apple has removed VPN (virtual private network) apps that allowed Chinese users to avoid censorship. The tech giant has declines to comment on the latest restrictions instituted by the Chinese government.

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