Apple removes the Damus app from the App Store in China and justifies itself

The iOS application of the social network Damus appeared on the App Store this week, but it is already disappearing in China. Indeed, Apple withdrew it due to Chinese requirements.

Damus, an application designed to access the social network via the open source Nostr protocol, had already struggled to land on the App Store, after being rejected. But a request from the Chinese government means the app has been removed from the App Store in that country.

“We are writing to inform you that your application, at the request of the CAC (Cyberspace Administration of China), will be removed from the China App Store because it includes content that is illegal in China, which does not comply with the app store review guidelines », says the email from Apple. The email goes on to add that “according to the CAC, your application violates the provisions relating to the evaluation of the safety of Internet-based information services having attributes of public opinion or capable of social mobilization”.

Shocking pic.twitter.com/LokIFnYGWl

— William Casarin 🇨🇦⚡️ (@jb55) February 2, 2023

Damus is a decentralized social network based on cryptographic key pairs. Most notably, the shared content is not owned or hosted by anyone, unlike a traditional social network like Twitter or Facebook. The app does little more than act as a browser, similar to a browser like Google Chrome or Safari.

This decentralized aspect does not seem to please the Chinese government, hence the request to remove the application from the Chinese App Store. Apple accepted the request.