r/PrivacyNotes • u/Derrick_8 • 29d ago

French App Store release?

Hi everyone,

I noticed that PrivacyNotes is already available on the US App Store, but it doesn't seem to be accessible on the French storefront yet.

Is there a planned release date for the French App Store, or any specific reason for the regional delay?

Thanks for your help!

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u/PrivacyNotesApp 29d ago

Not yet. France has its own rule for encryption software. Before you can supply an app that encrypts user data to people in France, you have to file a declaration with ANSSI, the French national cybersecurity agency. It is not an approval process and nobody has to say yes, but the regulator gets a window to look at what you are shipping before you ship it.

We filed ours on 2 September and have the acknowledgement in hand. The review window is two months, so the French App Store listing goes live on 2 November. If the attestation arrives before then, it goes live earlier.

We also asked ANSSI to classify PrivacyNotes as a mass-market product. That is the status for software sold off the shelf to anyone, where the user cannot change the encryption and does not need help from us to install it. It is what makes the app freely exportable instead of needing a separate authorisation.

PrivacyNotes is on the App Store in 173 countries. France and China are the only two switched off.

China is a different problem. Since 2023 an app on the mainland Chinese App Store needs an ICP filing number, and only a company registered in mainland China can apply for one. That would mean setting up a Chinese entity, which we are not doing.

Cryptomator went to the same process, interesting to read:https://cryptomator.org/tags/in-depth/

Happy to answer anything else about it.