The Chinese government forced Apple to remove VPN apps from the App Store there way back in 2017, and the company is now having to do the same in India.So far, a small number of VPN apps have been removed to comply with an anti-privacy law barring anonymous use, but many more are likely to follow Hundreds of VPN apps removed in ChinaThe Chinese government has long banned the use of VPN apps, which many of its citizens used to avoid government surveillance of their online activities.Back in 2017, Apple was forced to remove hundreds of VPN apps from the Chinese App Store, with CEO Tim Cook saying at the time that the company had to reluctantly comply with the law.We would obviously rather not remove the apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law wherever we do business. We strongly believe in participating in markets and bringing benefits to customers. Were hopeful that over time the restrictions we are seeing are loosened.First VPN apps removed in IndiaIndia introduced a new law back in 2022, which effectively banned the anonymous use of VPNs, as well as outlawing services like NordVPN that keep no logs of customer activity.Implementation was delayed after numerous objections, and was then introduced but not enforced. However, enforcement has now begun, TechCrunch reporting that Apple has begun removing VPN apps from the Indian App Store.The rules mandate that VPN providers and cloud service operators maintain comprehensive records of their customers, including names, addresses, IP addresses and transaction histories, for a five-year period.More than half-a-dozen VPN apps, including Cloudflares widely-used 1.1.1.1, have been pulled from Indias Apple App Store and Google Play Store following intervention from government authorities, TechCrunch has learned.The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued removal orders for the apps, according to a document reviewed by TechCrunch and a disclosure made by Google to Lumen,Harvard Universitys database that tracks government takedown requests globally.It seems the government is identifying non-compliant apps individually, so the process is likely to be a long drawn-out one, but the end result is likely to be similar to China, with hundreds of apps removed. No respectable VPN app is going to comply with this law.9to5Macs TakeThis is obviously at odds with Apples privacy values, but the company is in a no-win situation. It has to comply with local laws in each of the countries in which it operates, even in the case of regressive legislation by repressive governments.While it could in theory take the moral high ground and pull out of these markets, China is its primary manufacturing hub, and India has evolved to become its second-largest production center, meaning that simply isnt a practical option. Photo byChris YangonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel