The Financial Times has reported that Apple is set to share more details about apps removed from the App Store in its transparency report shared with investors. This comes after activists called for more information on certain religious apps’ removal from the store in China.
This transparency report currently only details the number of apps each country has requested for removal, the reason for the request, and whether Apple complied or not, according to people the FT spoke to familiar with the agreement.
This is set to change, following pressure from investors Azzad Asset Management, Tulipshare, and Open MIC. According to Tulipshare, Apple will now reveal the legal basis for removing certain apps.
CityAM shared comments from Joshua Brockwell, investment communications director at Azzad Asset Management, regarding the agreement: “Azzad Asset Management appreciates Apple’s consultative approach to working with our stakeholder coalition. Our agreed-upon outcome is a notable improvement over the company’s current reporting standards.”
The FT shared more details from Constance Ricketts, head of shareholder activism at Tulipshare, who said, “this information will help determine whether Apple’s decision stifles freedom of information and speech”. However, it’s not believed that Apple will reveal why individual apps have been taken down, one of the petitioners’ original requests.
For more from Apple, check out the recent Apple entertainment update for details on its successes in games and services in 2022.
