Seth Udinski, FISM News
Communist China continues its crackdown on religious freedom with a shocking move from its big technology sphere.
Last week, reports surfaced that multiple app services, including Audible and the Apple store, have removed Bible apps and Bible-reading software from their platforms in the borders of China. Further reports show that software for the Islamic Qur’an have also vanished in the region.
Olive Tree Bible App, one of the victims of the cancellation, said in an interview that China claimed these religious groups did not possess proper permits. Olive Tree said,
Olive Tree Bible Software was informed during the App Store review process that we are required to provide a permit demonstrating our authorization to distribute an app with book or magazine content in mainland China. Since we did not have the permit and needed to get our app update approved and out to customers, we removed our Bible app from China’s App Store. We are currently reviewing the requirements to obtain the necessary permit with the hope that we can restore our app to China’s App Store and continue to distribute the Bible worldwide.
This comes as no surprise from China, which exercises near-complete control over religious freedom in the region. This makes the massive nation one of the most dangerous in the world for Christians.
FISM News will keep you updated, as hopefully Christians in China will be able to once again use mobile technology to read and share the Word of God.