The reason for the removal seems to stem from international trade laws
Apple is reportedly removing apps which are originating from Iran from the App Store. As per a report by Iranian website, Techrasa, the company has removed the app of Digikala, an Iranian e-commerce service. As per the report, the reason for the removals stems from international trade laws, specifically the Iranian Transactions Sanctions Regulations (31CFR Part 560). However, exactly how the apps violate the sanctions is not yet known.
“Unfortunately, there is no App Store available for the territory of Iran. Additionally, apps facilitating transactions for businesses or entities based in Iran may not comply with the Iranian Transactions Sanctions Regulations (31CFR Part 560) when hosted on the App Store. For these reasons, we are unable to accept your application at this time. We encourage you to resubmit your application once international trade laws are revised to allow this functionality,” said a message sent to developers attempting to upload apps.
While this news comes just a fews days after President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, the two don’t seem to be unconnected. In fact, Apple CEO, Tim Cook has said that “Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do.” It has also reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect that the policy will have on its coworkers and the company.
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Shrey Pacheco
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