Skype disappears from app stores in China, including Apple's

Tumbleweeds are a-blowin' through app stores in China, as unmonitored and foreign-run communication tools continue to vanish. The latest is Skype, which has been missing from Chinese app stores — including Apple's — for a month, according to the New York Times.

The Times' investigation says the move may indicate a crackdown by President Xi Jinping's administration on privacy, encrypted communication, and "internet freedoms." A new cybersecurity law the government instituted in June, which includes language that justifies widespread removal of non-compliant apps, may be politically motivated to cut off access once and for all to foreign news outlets and social networks.

Skype, owned by Microsoft, is apparently still functioning in China. But the ability to download it has disappeared.

Previously, China has taken steps to remove apps that make it more difficult for the government to monitor its citizens' online communication. This often includes foreign-owned services like WhatsApp, which the government blocked in June, as well as VPN software, which the government removed from app stores in July.

The government's massive internet filter, which bars access to services like Gmail and Facebook, is colloquially referred to as "The Great Firewall."

Apple conceded in August that it's complying with Chinese censorship laws by removing VPN apps. CEO Tim Cook characterized the move as his company's policy to adhere to every country's laws in which they do business. But the lack of pushback may have something to do with the fact that Apple manufactures a huge amounts of its products in Chinese factories.

Mashable has reached out to Apple and Microsoft for comment, but neither responded at the time of this writing.