In a move that defers to the strict media controls exhibited in China, Apple has disabled its news app in the communist nation.

The Apple News app, which is being test marketed in Britain and Australia, is so far only available to users in the United States. Apple customers who have downloaded their app by registering their devices in the U.S. are able to view content anywhere in the world expect China, where instead of receiving news curtailed to their preferred media sources, they get an error message which says : "Can't refresh right now. News isn't supported in your current region."

Outside of the U.S., China represents Apple’s largest source of revenue.

Although China's constitution officially allows its citizens freedom of speech and press, authorities regularly censor news which they believe might expose state secrets or harm the country. In general, the Chinese government insists that companies employ a system of self-imposed censorship while working in China. Rather than develop a censorship system, which would require a combination of automated software and vigilant employees, it appears that for the time being Apple has simply elected to disable their news service for users in China.

As the New York Times reports, Larry Salibra, a founding member of the Bitcoin Association in Hong Kong, posted some harsh words about Apple’s apparent kowtowing to China’s censoring practices on his Twitter account. "They're censoring news content that I downloaded and stored on my device purchased in the USA, before I even enter China just because my phone happens to connect to a Chinese signal floating over the border," wrote Salibra.

"On device censorship is much different than having your server blocked by the Great Firewall or not enabling a feature for customers with certain country iTunes account," he added, emphasizing that the fact that Apple seems to have had little choice in the matter "doesn't make it any less creepy or outrageous."