China cracks down on Apple’s iMessage as national web cleanup continues

China’s Ministry of Information and Information Technology (MIIT) intends to lay down new regulations governing Apple’s iMessage, according to Techweb.

The measures include tools to monitor and prevent spam messages, which the ministry says are prevalent on the iOS default messaging app. The report says iMessage’s vulnerabilities to spam have cost users “millions” of RMB. Up to this point, TechWeb notes iMessage has been in a “vacuum” area void of regulation.

Chinese authorities earlier this year embarked on a nationwide campaign to combat fraud, pornography, and other illicit goings-on on the internet. Just last week, Tencent cooperated with officials to wipe out millions of WeChat and QQ accounts used for activities ranging from phishing scams to prostitution.

See: China gets key iOS 8 upgrades and QuickType love from Apple

MIIT’s announcement could also be a jab at Apple, which it says has not taken sufficient action to curb criminal activities on iMessage. Apple has been the focus of many a labor rights investigations and a target of state media smear campaigns.

(Source: Techweb; image credit: Erik Pitti via Wikipedia Commons)