Apple Moves to Store iCloud Keys in China, Raising Human Rights Fears

Megalith

Megalith

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In order to comply with recently introduced Chinese laws, Apple will begin hosting Chinese users’ iCloud accounts in China instead of the US. This is worrying human rights activists, as it will allow Chinese authorities far easier access to its citizens’ data: the country can use its own legal system to gain access to iCloud accounts.

The Apple decision highlights a difficult reality for many US technology companies operating in China. If they don’t accept demands to partner with Chinese companies and store data in China then they risk losing access to the lucrative Chinese market, despite fears about trade secret theft and the rights of Chinese customers.
 
They're not safe being stored in the USA either. Just depends on which government you want to fuck you over. If Apple was serious about keeping that info safe they'd be stored somewhere like Switzerland and stored in a manner in which even Apple couldn't access the data.
 
Simmonz said:
They're not safe being stored in the USA either.
Click to expand...

The borders are a sieve, we have illegals, communists, fascists, socialists and the mentally ill trying to undermine the republic and we wonder why the NSA has to do the shit they do...
 
Azphira said:
The borders are a sieve, we have illegals, communists, fascists, socialists and the mentally ill trying to undermine the republic and we wonder why the NSA has to do the shit they do...
Click to expand...

more like we give them all the leeway to do shit, and yet does nothing except asking for more and more intrusive and unsupervised surveillance rights
 
China says "my way or the highway/." I suspect a lot of governments are keeping an eye on this type of thing, they'd like to do it too. Just make the keys inaccessible to anyone (including quantum computers). If they won't allow that, well Apple has plenty of money, just shut down and move to Mars.
 
Megalith said:
In order to comply with recently introduced Chinese laws, Apple will begin hosting Chinese users’ iCloud accounts in China instead of the US. This is worrying human rights activists, as it will allow Chinese authorities far easier access to its citizens’ data: the country can use its own legal system to gain access to iCloud accounts.

The Apple decision highlights a difficult reality for many US technology companies operating in China. If they don’t accept demands to partner with Chinese companies and store data in China then they risk losing access to the lucrative Chinese market, despite fears about trade secret theft and the rights of Chinese customers.
Click to expand...

I like how despite giving in to these "demands" from the Chinese government, Apple stock rose 3 dollars the day this article was originally written. Sounds to me like giving in meant someone buying up a lot of stock...

Actually, it sounds exactly like how businesses work here in America.

Human rights, government policies and ethics can go suck eggs when that much money is on the line. Everybody has their hands in the cookie jar on this one.

Don't think for one second the US government doesn't want this to happen. A road out is a road in. Compliance with the Chinese government ensures that every Chinese citizen using Apple services will have a back door into their personal data. Currently Apple protects that data as a "Ethical" business decision... unless it befits them otherwise. By complying, Apple gains better access to a billion dollar market, the Chinese gov can spy on their own people, and the US gov can spy on the Chinese using those same back doors without having to pressure companies to make "Ethical" decisions. Its a win-win, especially when Apple decides its cheaper and profitable to host all of its user data in China.

Then in 10 years, when China is hosting the majority of all the internet data, Apple will suddenly decide China is "Un-Ethical" again, and begin hosting its data services on tax breaks and subsidized American soil once more using completely automated data-storing facilities to eliminate job costs. But by then, the US policy will have degraded into something much similar of how it is in China because of the fear that everyone is an Illegal-Communist-Hacker-Jihadist infested with Ebola that's here to take our jobs, hand out drugs to our children and convince them to shoot up our schools.

Its more fun when you make all these groups out to be bad guys, including the "good" guys. Then they just become groups of people. People are pretty damn funny to watch. /popcorn
 
China is a big market for Apple (and other tech companies). They tell you the rules - you either accept them or don't do business in China.
 
You mean Apple is actually in business for the money?

Who woulda thunk?!?

I'm sure the Apple fan boys are happily ignoring this news.
 
It's no conspiracy. If Apple doesn't give in, they lose access to the China market, which is the fastest growing in the world. Stocks would take a dive. They DO give in, they gain access to the single largest market with the largest growth potential in the world and of course that will drive the stock price up. It could be ANY country, not specifically China, although how any country with a fraction of China's population could have the same upside I don't know, but pretend there was, and that was the country in the middle of this issue and not China. Say that country was even a representational republic, just like the US. The outcome for Apple stock would be the same.
 
Apple needs to really revamp how they operate and get back some innovation.
 
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