Apple (AAPL) has started asking all new apps being released in its China App Store to provide proof of a government license, as Beijing tightens its regulations.

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant began asking app developers last Friday to submit the "internet content provider (ICP) filing" when they seek to list a new app on its China 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:App Store.

The ICP filing is a registration required for websites to operate legally in the country, and Apple's rivals such as Huawei have adopted the program since 2017. First announced in August, the new rules mean app developers must prove they have a company in China or have an affiliation with a registered firm there.

The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 29 reported that Apple executives met in recent months with Chinese officials, who asked that the U.S. tech firm "strictly implement" app regulation banning unregistered foreign apps. The c🍒hanges reportedly🐈 are being made to reduce online scams, pornography, and the circulation of information that violates China’s tough censorship rules.

Beijing has tried to have a tight grip on Western 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:social media firms, but their applications still could be accessed via app stores. The new rules could have an effect on Western apps such as X, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Chinese users currently can use virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around China's “Great Firewall,” so the government is seeking to close this loophole.

Apple's App Store has more than 1,000 unregistered foreign apps that could be affected—they would need to be removed for Apple to comply with the new regulation. That eventually may affect Apple's revenue, as it's now able to offer a larger selection of apps than its domestic rivals. China is Apple's third-largest market, accounting for $15.7 billion of the company's $81.8 billion revenue in the third quarter.