Chinese State Media Declares iPhone a Threat To National Security 143
MojoKid writes:
"When NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden came forth last year with U.S. government spying secrets, it didn't take long to realize that some of the information revealed could bring on serious repercussions — not just for the U.S. government, but also for U.S.-based companies. The latest to feel the hit? None other than Apple, and in a region the company has been working hard to increase market share: China. China, via state media, has today declared that Apple's iPhone is a threat to national security — all because of its thorough tracking capabilities. It has the ability to keep track of user locations, and to the country, this could potentially reveal "state secrets" somehow. It's being noted that the iPhone will continue to track the user to some extent even if the overall feature is disabled. China's iPhone ousting comes hot on the heels of Russia's industry and trade deeming AMD and Intel processors to be untrustworthy. The nation will instead be building its own ARM-based "Baikal" processor.
Re:Not just iPhone (Score:5, Interesting)
Anything coming out of the U.S. is a threat to everybody else's national security.
Actually, anything with practically opaque internals is a potential security hole, including processors, compiled software, network equipment. Also anything involving telecommunications.
If China is picking on only Apple, I'd wager it's to drum up business for some company that's owned by a state or an official.
Wait a second (Score:5, Interesting)
I tired to find the original source. Don't see it. Instead all we have is "
A report by broadcaster CCTV criticized the iPhone's "Frequent Locations" function for allowing users to be tracked and information about them revealed.
"This is extremely sensitive data," said a researcher interviewed by the broadcaster. If the data were accessed, it could reveal an entire country's economic situation and "even state secrets," the researcher said."
This is far, far from a government decree. The American equivalent would be an interview on PBS. Other than approving it to air, this has nothing to do with the government. I suspect most Chinese will see right through this, it may even help Apple sales.
Re:Retaliation for our treatment of Huawei and ZTE (Score:4, Interesting)
And for the record, from a security and privavy standpoint at least, I'll take an iPhone any day over an Android.
I'll take Android ASOP/custom rom over carrier shitware infested Android + Google play services or the iPhone any day.
Amazing how much longer battery lasts when your phone is not constantly violating your privacy and wracking up data usage for stupid reasons.