Apple May Be Summoned by China's Cyber Regulators for Live Streaming Apps: Report

Internet regulators in China's capital plan to summon Apple Inc to urge the American firm to tighten its checks on software applications available in its App Store, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The Beijing Cyberspace Administration, together with the Beijing Public Security Bureau and Beijing Cultural Market Administrative Law Enforcement Team, has already met representatives from Apple about the examination of live streaming apps from its app store, Xinhua said.

The US tech firm is turning to selling more apps and services in China amid falling sales and rising competition from domestic smartphone makers.

Apple confirmed this year that it removed the New York Times Co's English- and Chinese-language news apps from its iTunes store in China following a request from authorities.

Apple in Beijing could not be reached for comment after normal business hours.

The Beijing Cyberspace Administration and the other two departments separately ordered three domestic live-streaming websites to rectify management loopholes, Xinhua said.

China's fast-growing live-streaming market produced revenues of more than CNY 30 billion ($4.36 billion) last year, according to investment bank China Renaissance Securities, even as regulators have clamped down on sites that provide illegal content, including pornography.

© Thomson Reuters 2017