In the Chinese version of the iPhone application shop, you won’t find a single mention of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Beijing regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist.
At least five programs referring to the Dalai Lama have been blocked in China, reports PC World. Three are collections of his quotes, another one allows the tracking of his movements around the world, and the last provides information on Nobel Laureates, including the Dalai Lama, who received the prize for Peace in 1989.
Similarly unavailable was an app related to Rebiya Kadeer, exiled spiritual leader of the Uighur ethnic minority. This year China faced mass riots of Uighurs in Xinjiang province.
When questioned about the censure on the Chinese App Store, Apple said they had to follow local legislation.
"We continue to comply with local laws," the magazine cites Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller. "Not all apps are available in every country."
Apple joins several other IT companies, such as Google and Yahoo, which have been criticized by human rights activists for co-operating with the Chinese authorities on the screening of politically- or socially-unacceptable information. Strict control of the Internet has been dubbed the “Great Firewall of China” by critics.