Apple's China iCloud Data Migration Sweeps Up International User Accounts (techcrunch.com) 45
Yesterday, it was reported that Apple's iCloud services in mainland China will be operated by a Chinese company from next month. What wasn't reported was the fact that Apple has included iCloud accounts that were opened in the U.S., are paid for using U.S. dollars and/or are connected to U.S.-based App Store accounts in the data that will be handled by local partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD) from February 28. TechCrunch reports: Apple has given China-based users the option to delete their data, but there is no opt out that allows them to have it stored elsewhere. That has concerned some users who are uneasy that the data migration is a sign of closer ties with the Chinese government, particularly since GCBD is owned by the Guizhou provincial government. When asked for comment, Apple pointed TechCrunch to its terms and conditions site which explains that it is migrating iCloud accounts based on their location: "The operation of iCloud services associated with Apple IDs that have China in their country or region setting will be subject to this transition. You will be notified of this transition via email and notifications on your devices. You don't need to take any further action and can keep using iCloud in China. After February 28, 2018, you will need to agree to the terms and conditions of iCloud operated by GCBD to keep using iCloud in China."
However, TechCrunch found instances of iCloud accounts registered overseas that were part of the migration. One user did find an apparent opt-out. That requires the user switching their iCloud account back to China, then signing out of all devices. They then switch their phone and iCloud settings to the U.S. and then, upon signing back into iCloud, their account will (seemingly) not be part of the migration. Opting out might be a wise-move, as onlookers voice concern that a government-owned company is directly involved in storing user data.
However, TechCrunch found instances of iCloud accounts registered overseas that were part of the migration. One user did find an apparent opt-out. That requires the user switching their iCloud account back to China, then signing out of all devices. They then switch their phone and iCloud settings to the U.S. and then, upon signing back into iCloud, their account will (seemingly) not be part of the migration. Opting out might be a wise-move, as onlookers voice concern that a government-owned company is directly involved in storing user data.
Big brands like big gov (Score:2)
How about data staying in the USA and providing freedom of speech and freedom after speech for users around the world?
Let users globally enjoy US freedoms rather than what is allowed under a Communist party legal system.
Re: (Score:1)
US freedom. LOL. The NSA is balls deep in American datastores. And thanks to national security letters, you'll never hear a peep about it. Freedom alright.
Re: (Score:3)
America : you're free to speak. And the NSA is free to listen.
China : you're not free to speak and the Ministry of State Security is even freer than the NSA to listen to make sure you don't.
Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)
"We won't let the FBI see the iPhones of people who commit mass murder in the US, but the Secret Police of Communist China gets whatever they want."
I'm sure glad I don't use Apple, for multiple other reasons.
Re: (Score:1)
Simpler explanation: The FBI as an organization is pretty pissed at Apple for advertising their devices as a means to defeat law enforcement. No conspiracy needed, just hypocrisy from Apple.
Re: (Score:2)
The FBI as an organization is pretty pissed at Apple for advertising their devices as a means to defeat law enforcement.
Please explain how you can defeat law enforcement with device encryption if law enforcement has acted within boundaries of written law to begin with?
Re: (Score:2)
Simple, you hide your evidence inside the iThing, the FBI gets a warrant to search your phone, and Apple gloats that they're helping the crook. That requires no malfeasance on the part of the FBI.
If the FBI is coming physically after you you're already in shit creek already evidence wise ie. what you have on your phone don't matter therefore lack of it in trial won't defeat law enforcement.
Re:Seriously? (Score:4, Insightful)
The FBI want people to keep using their live mic, camera, GPS, file system copy system with confidence over every generation of big brand product.
What could convince many interesting people to still trust a big US brand not be working with US law enforcement?
If interesting people see all the phones been used as part of evidence they will just stop using the phones. The free domestic voice print collection goes dark.
The real issue is how many criminals/spies in the USA have the security clearance connections to see the real time voice print results of domestic collection?
In the FBI? Telco workers? Police? City/state Internal affairs? Mil contractors? Cult/faith members working for a gov/contractor in secure legal and telco areas with a top security clearance? Lawyers? The mil support teams? Other agency staff?
The people who work on the LETC upgrades to law enforcement front company aircraft?
How many people need to be in on nation wide domestic voice and data collection if the junk encryption keeps collection wide open over every generation of big brand product?
Is domestic collection all out sourced to some part of the EU?
A trusted set of contractors in a "France" does the US domestic sorting so no other level of law enforcement/mil/gov in the USA can ever find their own files in any FBI database? Nobody interesting in the US would then have to know?
The secret is not that all US big brand encryption is junk. The place outside the USA where the real time results are sorted and kept away from US telco workers, cults, criminals, city/state police would be the secret to keep.
No US spy under federal suspicion would be able to find results in any US database by searching domestically. Domestic parallel construction hidden out side the USA for safe keeping.
Any criminal/faith group/corrupt police looking deep into FBI files would only find pictures of people with convictions, all US drivers license images, DNA and finger prints. All the usual data any advanced national police force has on convicted people. The domestically collected voice prints do not get stored in the USA? So the trust stays as the criminals and faith groups are sure nothing is collected from their secure big brand phone in real time. Yet the LETC flights circle a city for hours. What is getting collecting domestically if the big brands products are so secure and the results are still protected with secure encryption?
Re: Seriously? (Score:3)
We also know that people typically keep their phones on them.
What we don't know is how many of the people we interact with daily have "always on" apps on their digitial devices.
Re: (Score:3)
https://www.usatoday.com/story... [usatoday.com]
Would the FBI still risk such bulk sorting of voice print data within the USA given criminal, cult, faith and legal interest in all things collect it all?
Re: Seriously? (Score:2)
The FBI is an intelligence agency. It is their job to collect intel.
It is also a domestic focused agency. Which means the intel they are tasked with collecting is for US citizens, and matters which happen on US soil. This is why we want trusted and vetted individuals handling this information, and not outsourcing it to other intelligence agencies abroad.
Re: (Score:2)
That having no past to investigate (new citizen), some criminal past in the USA was not a good reason not to work for the US government?
That questions of been able to prove been loyal to the USA would not stop a person from been given a job in the US government?
Only once found to be criminal at their new federal gov job could they
Re:Seriously? (Score:4, Interesting)
Nope. This only affects iCloud. And you can opt out of using iCloud too.
The FBI has full access to iCloud data, just like China will too (for Chinese accounts). This is due to Chinese law saying Chinese users of cloud services must have the data stored within China.
Chinese government only has access to those servers now, and you can opt-out like you always could of iCloud services - the iPhone is not tied to it in any way other than user convenience.
Data stored on phones only (and there's a lot that Apple isn't storing to the cloud, including passwords) remain stored on phones and the Chinese government will have to crack them same way the FBI does.
Re: (Score:3)
I wasn't aware that the FBI was allowed to torture the keys out of suspects? Yet.
Re: (Score:2)
Chinese government only has access to those servers now, and you can opt-out like you always could of iCloud services - the iPhone is not tied to it in any way other than user convenience.
For now..... until the Chinese government starts looking into the people who have an iPhone and don't use iCloud and tie that or active use into the loyalty score somehow. As far as I know you can only turn it off, you can't fake using it. That's really the end game here, make most people give up their privacy without anything seemingly bad happening so the remainder stand out in a crowd. I mean 99% of what goes on at Facebook is meaningless drivel, the question is who's not on Facebook and what's not being
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I'm sure glad you're not making any decisions for me because you're conflating two different things:
- Access to iCloud Data (the subject of TFA).
Apple has always divulged this data when presented with a warrant, whether in the U.S. or anywhere else that they operate:
https://www.apple.com/lae/priv... [apple.com]
- Access to information on devices:
Again, Apple co-operates with authorities when they can but cannot do so once a window of opportunity closes and the device is locke
Re: (Score:2)
US Ambassador to Panama John Feeley stated on December 27, 2017 that he wanted to resign. MSNBC put out a tweet [dailycaller.com] that incorrectly implied that Feeley had resigned because of Trump's s*hole comment. They later removed the incorrect tweet, and put out a correct one.