News & reports
Our research and writing on app censorship since 2020 — country studies, removal analyses and the reports behind them. Articles are published in the language they were written in.
2024
Join Us for the Launch of the App Freedom Index (AFI): Advancing Transparency in the App Ecosystem
Event Details: Date: December 19, 2024 Time: 3:00 PM – 3:35 PM UTC Format: Virtual Event (Online) About the Event GreatFire’s App Censorship Project team is excited to invite you to the launch of the…
AppleCensorship.com Launches Major Upgrades to Enhance Transparency on App Availability
November 13, 2024 GreatFire is excited to announce a significant update to AppleCensorship.com, introducing eight powerful new features aimed at enhancing the platform’s usability and transparency…
Apple Tightens Censorship of VPN Apps in Russia’s App Store
In a series of actions suggesting Apple’s increasing willingness to comply with Russian censorship demands, the company has removed additional virtual private network (VPN) apps from its Russia App…
Apple is Silently Removing VPN Apps from Russia's App Store
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 GreatFire Releases Groundbreaking Study on VPN App Removals in Russia GreatFire has published a groundbreaking study revealing the widespread removal of VPN apps by Apple…
Unveiling the Extent of VPN App Removals by Apple from the Russia App Store: An Analysis of Silent Removals and the Need for Transparency
To read the press release related to this report, click here. Highlights Significant Discrepancy Uncovered: While media reports indicated that Roskomnadzor ordered the removal of 25 VPN apps, our…
Navigating India's App Regulation and Digital Censorship
India’s mobile ecosystem is booming, but with it comes increased government regulation and censorship. The balance between national interests, user privacy, and freedom of expression is under…
GreatFire Joins Civil Society Organizations Urging Apple to Stop Censoring VPN Apps in Russia
Open Letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls for Restoration of VPN Apps in the Russian App Store. GreatFire, along with a coalition of civil society organizations and individuals, has issued an open…
Damus: A Decentralized Social Network's Battle Against Censorship
Damus, a decentralized social networking app powered by the Nostr protocol, was removed from China's App Store by Apple on February 2, 2023, just two days after launching, due to directives from the…
A Comparative Study on the Global Availability of VPN Apps in Apple's App Stores and Google's Play Stores
Introduction VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, are essential tools for individuals in authoritarian contexts, enabling them to bypass censorship and protect their anonymity through encrypted…
New Report Unveils App Censorship in China’s Apple App Store Amid Recent Developments
June 20, 2024 New Report Unveils App Censorship in China’s Apple App Store Amid Recent Developments GreatFire’s AppleCensorship.com (now part of The App Censorship Project), in collaboration with…
Online Event: Release of "Isolation by Design" Report
ARTICLE 19, GreatFire and Fight For The Future are organizing an online event for the release of the report titled "Isolation by Design: Censorship in Apple's App Store in China and Human Rights…
Signs of Hope: Chinese Authorities Face Challenges Banning Encrypted Chat Apps
On May 17, an administration under the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) released a video on its official Weibo account urging parents and school teachers to check their children’s and…
Encrypted Email App Tuta Fights to Empower User Privacy
When the EU implemented the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to foster innovation and competitiveness, AppleCensorship called Apple out for its minimal compliance efforts. Apple's implementation of…
Apple's Contrasting Compliance Reveals Prioritization of Corporate Interests over Users’
Apple's full compliance with new Chinese internet regulations, which require app providers to register with the government, stands in stark contrast to the company's handling of the Digital Markets…
Apple Must End Its Unquestioning Compliance with CAC Orders
In a recent move dictated by China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC), Apple has removed several major messaging and social media apps, including, Meta's WhatsApp and Threads, Signal and Telegram…
Google censors boycott app, for alleged “misinformation”
Google has removed the Boycat app from its Play Store on March 27, citing misinformation concerns. The app, which remains available in all 175 Apple’s App Stores, positions itself as an ethical…
The Digital Divide Dilemma: Halting Google and Apple's Internet Fragmentation
Apple and Google wield significant influence over access to information and user privacy, with their operational decisions bearing profound implications for human rights globally. As transnational…
Apple’s monopoly abuses are a human rights issue. Statement from U.S.-based, Fight for the Future and China-based GreatFire
On March 22 the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of 16 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple for maintaining a monopoly in the smartphone market. Digital rights group Fight for…
Article 23 to further curb the remaining freedom of Hong Kong
The public consultation period ends today for the controversial Article 23 in Hong Kong. AppleCensorship.com talked to law expert Eric Lai earlier this month about the human rights impact of National…
Apple's Compliance Charade: Expected Moves in the EU's DMA Drama
After extensive discussions and amendments in 2021 and 2022, the European Union has adopted the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) with the aim to protect user rights and create…
2023
Navigating App Censorship: Impact on Journalism in Tibet
GreatFire’s recent initiative with its AppleCensorship project delves into the perspectives of developers, end users, and other stakeholders affected by app censorship. In exploring the real-world…
How Far Does It Go? Unveiling China's Crusade Against Religious Apps
GreatFire's AppCensorship project has conducted an extensive study on the availability of religion-related apps in Apple’s App Stores globally. Utilizing AppleCensorship.com’s App Store Monitor…
Three Strategies for Apple to Address the Untenable Situation with China
Since launching AppleCensorship.com in 2019, we've continuously advocated for Apple to end its censorship of Chinese users. Despite Apple's stance of complying with increasingly stringent Chinese…
The AppCensorship Project: Unveiling Global Censorship in Mobile Stores
GreatFire proudly announces its ambitious new initiative, the AppCensorship Project. Launched in October, this project is dedicated to promoting digital freedom and challenging app censorship on…
We are hiring: Developer for App Censorship Monitoring Websites
Company Overview We are a mission-driven organization committed to monitoring and combating app censorship on a global scale. We are in search of a dedicated and proficient Web Developer to lead the…
Russia's App Store vs. China's App Store
AppleCensorship publishes a report investigating Russia’s App Store further. By comparing Russia’s App Store with China’s App Store, AppleCensorships seeks to provide information on the specificity…
Banned Apps in China are Apps at Risk in Hong Kong
Following up on its research on Hong Kong's App Store, AppleCensorship publishes a report focusing on apps belonging to “sensitive categories” which are unavailable in mainland China, and verifies…
The fundamental rights of millions are impacted when Apple does business with authoritarian regimes
On December 22, 2022 AppleCensorship releases two reports simultaneously, both highlighting Apple’s censorship of its App Stores and the company’s many compromises with authoritarian regimes. The…
2022
Why GreatFire supports Antitrust Bills (and Why you Should Too)
Read the article on The National Interest (Published by The Center for the National Interest) GreatFire is a China-based, anti-censorship organization that’s worked since 2011 to expose digital…
RightsCon 2022: “What apps have disappeared from Apple’s App Store?”
On July 8 2022, during RightsCon 2022, GreatFire presented a Tech Demo on the AppleCensorship.com App Store Monitor (ASM). The video, narrated by Human Rights defender and AppleCensorship’s…
“Taken Down” A Look into Apple’s Transparency Reports : Key Highlights
Published on April 21, 2022, AppleCensorship’s report “Taken Down: A Look into Apple’s Transparency Reports”, exposes how Apple carefully engineered its Transparency Reports to conceal as much…
AppleCensorship is recruitng a Researcher/Writer
UDPATED: 06/10/2022 Dear candidates: We really appreciate the time and effort you put in throughout our selection process. As of today, this position is no longer vacant. If more opportunities come…
“Taken Down” A Look into Apple’s Transparency Reports
– Download the report – Apple’s latest “Transparency Report” will be released soon, likely accompanied by a formidable Public Relations push. Apple will boast about how the company’s “foremost…
Help us stop App Store censors
On August 11, 2021, three U.S. Senators, Richard Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar and Marsha Blackburn, introduced a very important “antitrust” bill in the United States Congress: the Open App Markets Act…
在欧洲限制言论自由是专制者的胜利
GreatFire谴责欧盟（EU）最近对两家俄罗斯国有媒体 “今日俄罗斯 “和Sputnik新闻社的限制。这一禁令不仅事倍功半、适得其反，而且为欧盟和世界其他地区获取信息的自由开了一个危险的先河。 在俄罗斯军队入侵乌克兰之后，欧洲理事会针对俄罗斯政府、俄罗斯金融机构以及俄罗斯寡头实施了一系列经济制裁。…
Restricting free speech in Europe is a victory for autocrats
GreatFire condemns the recent restrictions imposed by the European Union (EU) on two Russian state-owned media, Russia Today and the Sputnik News agency. Not only is this ban inefficient and…
AppleCensorship calls on U.S. Senate Committee to end Apple’s unethical and immoral behavior
AppleCensorship is publishing the letter it sent on January 28, 2022, to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, drawing attention to Apple’s active collaboration with authoritarian regimes and the…
2021
Game, set, match. WTA provides the leadership Apple so desperately needs in China
On November 19, 2021, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Chairman Steve Simon was interviewed by CNN about the disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. As a public statement made by the head…
“Censored on the App Store”: new report shows the staggering scale of app censorship by Apple
Download the full report here. (PDF 6 241Ko). Today, in “Censored on the App Store”, AppleCensorship reveals in its new report the scale of unavailability of apps in Apple’s App Store. This report is…
Apple values are upside down
When it comes to deciding whether an app should be offered in the App Store, Apple uses a vertical decision-making structure. The order and importance of Apple’s decision-making process runs counter…
We’re hiring !
This job advert has been updated on September 22. It is now a full-time position. An open invitation to open minds. Come to AppleCensorship, where few individual imaginations gather together to pave…
Apple is enabling censorship of LGBTQ+ apps in 152 countries, new report finds
As LGBTQ+ people around the world celebrate Pride Month, new report from Fight for the Future and GreatFire shows how Apple’s App Store monopoly enables government crackdowns on LGBTQ+ content To…
We Welcome Your Feedback!
Help us improve your experience and our App Store Monitor by taking our short survey. The survey only takes around 5 min and is completely anonymous (should you choose not to give your email).
#TiananmenSquareMassacre
“The youth are angry, heaven and earth are weeping… How did our land become a sea of blood? How did the path home become a path of no return?” The Path of Man, by Jacky Cheung Two years ago, Apple…
WWDC21
It’s almost time for WWDC21 – starting with an Apple Keynote full of empty words and broken promises. While you watch the show online at apple.com, ask Apple on social media why they censor so many…
GreatFire asks Apple about App Store management in China (open letter)
25 May 2021 Tim Cook Apple, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 USA Subject: Apple’s policy regarding China’s App Store management and user privacy. Dear Tim Cook, We are writing to you…
Human rights groups based in the US and China issue joint statement condemning Apple’s app store monopoly
To mitigate the harms of censorship, internet freedom organizations Fight for the Future (USA) and GreatFire (China) call on Apple to end the many abusive practices of its App Store, none of which…
Apple Vs Epic: the stakes are higher than you think
Video games publisher Epic Games and technology giant Apple are set to face each other in a California court from today. Through these legal proceedings, Epic Games hopes to reverse the status quo in…
We’re hiring.
Update 05/03/2021 Dear candidates: We really appreciate the time and effort you put in throughout our selection process. As of today, this position is no longer vacant. If more opportunities come up…
On Process and Precedent: What the Removal of Parler Tells Us About Apple’s Unilateral Power
In the wake of the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, decisions made by Big Tech companies to ban users from their platforms and collectively close their gates to one specific app, Parler…
2020
Apple, anticompetition, and censorship
On July 20, 2020, GreatFire wrote to all 13 members of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, requesting a thorough examination…
