Apple plays digital privacy hardball with FBI, 'but not China'
Apple plays digital privacy hardball with FBI, 'but not
China'
Text by Sébastian SEIBT Latest update : 2016-02-19
Apple was hailed as a champion of digital privacy this
week after refusing to help the FBI hack into an iPhone belonging to a suspect
in the San Bernardino shooting. But the firm hasn’t always been so scrupulous
about user data, especially in China.
The standoff between the FBI and Apple over the
investigation into the San Bernardino shooting, which claimed the lives of 14
people in early December, has divided the United States. While some have argued
that the company should, in this particular case, help investigators by
bypassing the phone’s security system, others have insisted that doing so will
set a dangerous precedent.
The controversy began on Tuesday after a judge ordered
Apple to help the FBI “hack” an iPhone linked to the tragic shooting. The next
day, the White House gave the investigation its full support, describing it as
an “important national priority”.
Despite being a vocal critic of President Barack Obama,
presidential candidate Donald Trump agreed with him on the issue, slamming
Apple’s refusal to cooperate with law enforcement officials. “I agree 100
percent with the courts… Who do they think they are? No, we have to open it
up,” he told Fox News on Thursday.
Chinese ‘security checks’
But others have backed Apple CEO Tim Cook’s refusal to
bow to the FBI, including Google boss Sundar Pichai, as well as the heads of
WhatsApp (part of Facebook) and Microsoft. Almost overnight, Cook became a
bulwark against government efforts to access users’ personal information.
Apple’s new role as a champion of digital privacy must be
making the Chinese government smile. According to an article by the US news
website Quartz, Cook’s intransigence apparently depends on geography.
APPLE TAKES A STAND AGAINST FBI ON DIGITAL PRIVACY
Citing reports by Chinese daily Beijing News and the
state-run People's Daily, the article claimed that Cook agreed in January 2015
to allow authorities in China to carry out “security checks” on all iPhones
sold in the country to make sure the US had not installed any spyware. But,
Apple has never confirmed or responded to the allegations.
The article reported that analysts believe Apple likely
handed over its operating system source code as part of the agreement. If true,
this would mean that the Chinese government knows how Apple’s software works,
including its security system.
User data stored in China
Apple also decided in February 2015 to store local users’
personal data in China. The move was a gesture of good will towards Beijing
that other companies like Google, for example, have always rejected for
“security reasons”. This is because it is easier for China to request access to
personal information that is under its jurisdiction.
But Apple has never given Beijing the means to hack an
iPhone, which is exactly what Cook has accused the United States of seeking in
what he described as “an unprecedented step that threatens the security of our
customers”.
But Apple’s alleged behaviour in China has demonstrated
that the company may be capable of granting a government – even one known for
Internet censorship – access to users’ personal information if it’s within the
company's best commercial interests.
Date created : 2016-02-19
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