Apple limits iPhone filesharing feature used by protesters in China - The Guardian

Apple has constricted filesharing features connected iPhones successful China, a period aft reports that anti-government protesters were utilizing the relation to stock integer leaflets with strangers.

Under the update to the AirDrop relation released connected Thursday, iPhone users successful China tin lone opt successful to person files from non contacts during a 10-minute model earlier it automatically shuts off. The diagnostic did not antecedently person a clip limit.

The update makes it virtually intolerable to person unexpected files from strangers.

The alteration follows wide reports of radical utilizing AirDrop to dispersed leaflets captious of the Chinese Communist enactment successful crowded nationalist spaces, partially inspired by a protestation successful Beijing successful which a antheral hung banners calling for the removal of the president, Xi Jinping.

Chinese censors rapidly scrubbed online videos and posts referring to the protest, portion hundreds of users connected the fashionable outgo and chat app WeChat had their accounts blocked aft speaking astir the uncommon enactment of rebellion.

Apple declined AFP’s petition for remark but the institution is present understood to beryllium readying a rollout of the diagnostic crossed the globe.

Apple phones sold extracurricular mainland China connected Thursday did not look to beryllium affected by the update, portion iPhones sold successful China displayed the bounds careless of which state the user’s App Store relationship was based in.

The statement for users said the update “includes bug fixes and information updates”.

The California-based tech giant, which touts information and privateness protections arsenic cardinal features of its devices, has antecedently faced disapproval for alleged concessions to Beijing.

China is seen by occidental observers arsenic becoming progressively repressive arsenic Xi embarks connected his 3rd word arsenic the country’s astir almighty figure.

“This is 1 tiny illustration of a benignant of China outgo … that’s making China overmuch little appealing arsenic an concern and manufacturing destination for galore planetary multinationals galore planetary companies,” Isaac Stone Fish, CEO of Strategy Risks said.

“Apple has to recognize the precise existent risks of being overly exposed to China successful 2022,” helium added.

Other evident concessions included opening a datacentre successful China, arsenic good arsenic removing an app successful 2019 that allowed Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters to support way of police.

Apple has besides faced boycott threats successful China arsenic it stands successful the crossfire of US-China tensions, with Beijing informing successful 2020 that it could crook its citizens against the institution if Washington blocked Chinese apps.

Some Chinese societal media users connected Thursday hailed the iPhone update arsenic a affirmative measurement successful preventing unsolicited messages from strangers. One Weibo idiosyncratic said the alteration would “greatly trim the probability of iPhone users being harassed”.

A fistful questioned wherefore the relation was lone being rolled retired connected Chinese iPhones, with 1 Weibo commenter joking astir Apple CEO Tim Cook’s friendliness with Beijing: “So is Tim Cook a Party subordinate oregon not?”