China orders Apple to pull Dorsey’s Bitchat, the messaging app used during Iran protests

Tech giant Apple removed Bitchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app developed by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, from its China App Store at the request of Beijing’s internet regulator, Dorsey disclosed in an X post on Sunday. The Cyberspace Administration of China argued the app violated regulations governing online services with “public opinion or social mobilization capabilities,” a provision that requires security assessments before launch. Apple’s app review team told Dorsey that both the App Store listing and the TestFlight beta version would no longer be available in China, though the app remains accessible in other countries. Bitchat runs entirely over…