Apple has scraped apps created by the New York Times from its store in China following a government request. The company removed the apps from the iTunes store in China late last month, according to the Times. The app was removed because it violated the local regulations, an Apple spokesman told the Times. While mainstream media in China did not report on the app removal, it was widely discussed on social media. The Times has been blocked in China since 2012, but sites managed by anti-censorship advocates have made the content occasionally accessible.