China’s Cyberspace Administration told Apple to remove ​​WhatsApp, Threads, Signal and Telegram due to national security concerns, and a spokesperson for the iPhone maker said it was obligated to follow local laws, “even when we disagree.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Talking point: The move is ramping up concerns about censorship in China, where Reddit, Spotify, ChatGPT and other non-Chinese apps are already banned. A source told the Journal that political content about Chinese President Xi Jinping motivated the regulator’s decision, which Apple has denied. The tech giant’s CEO Tim Cook has been touring Asia, which many view as a scouting trip to diversify the iPhone manufacturing supply chain outside China. Meanwhile, U.S.-China tensions have increased amid the U.S. government’s efforts to ban or crack down on TikTok for national security risks.