Apple has banned 135,000 applications from its App Store in a drive to improve transparency. The banning of apps started two days ago for those whose developers did not provide trader information. The apps have been taken down from the App Store in EU member states, according to an NDTV report, referring to statistics from Appfigures.
According to Apple's official website, it released a statement regarding the removal of apps. In a statement on its website, Apple said that apps without trader status have been removed from the App Store in the EU until trader status is provided and verified by Apple.
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This is Apple's biggest crackdown since the launch of the App Store. This comes after developers failed to disclose their address, phone number, and email information to consumers. App developers must provide their "trader status" as per the new EU rules. If the contact details are missing, Apple will ban the app.
According to Apple, trader contact information includes an address, phone number, and email address that traders need to provide to Apple for posting on their App Store product category page in accordance with the DSA. Apple verifies the posted information and publishes it on the trader’s App Store product page when their app is distributed in EU territories. Even if traders do not distribute apps in the EU, they still need to declare a trader status.