Microsoft’s Skype taken down from App Stores in China

BEIJING: In a recent series of app censorship in China, Microsoft’s Skype is next to be pulled off from Google and Apple app stores, after Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.

Slashing social networking websites in the country is done perhaps to make surveillance of civilians an easier task. For this purpose, messaging apps and websites in China are now subjected to challenges, limited access and unavailability on public networks.

“We have been notified by the Ministry of Public Security that a number of voice over internet protocol apps do not comply with local law. Therefore these apps have been removed from the app store in China,” an Apple spokeswoman said. “These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business.”

As part of a similar move in the recent past, China took globally famous WhatsApp off Google and Apple stores, since the app comes in with encryption of chats and conversations as an inherent feature.

While Skype remains accessible to people for browsing, its download in the country has been banned completely.