Apple restricts key iPhone feature for protesters in China Data skimmed from over 500 million users: Ireland fines metagroup

Those who make negative statements about the despot Xi Jinping and the Communist Party in China should expect the worst. This also applies during the newly sparked anti-lockdown and corona measures protests.

But in this tense situation of all, citizens who criticize the government can no longer use an important tool as usual. Apple has greatly restricted the tap-free “Airdrop” data transfer feature, which was used, among other things, for the rapid distribution of digital flyers.

This post explores the key questions and explains the questionable role of Elon Musk and Twitter.

What is Apple being criticized for?

As the Chinese regime under Xi Jinping cracks down on the biggest protests since the 1989 democracy movement (“Tian’anmen Massacre”), Apple faces serious charges: the US company is helping to contain the protests.

On November 9, Apple released a software update that limited the time of the airdrop feature in China, making it more difficult for protesters to distribute information quickly and securely on the ground.

You should know that the iPhone is very popular in China and protesters used the data transfer feature built into Apple’s software to deceive government surveillance and online censorship.

How does “Airdrop” work and what changes?

The feature built into the Apple operating systems allows users to wirelessly transmit data over a relatively short distance using their devices.

Important to know: Airdrop works without a wireless router or internet connection. The iPhones (or iPads, Macbooks, etc.) should be relatively close to each other (< 10 meters), and Bluetooth and/or WLAN should be switched on.

AirDrop is mainly intended for the uncomplicated, fast exchange of files such as images, documents and videos. And this supposedly encrypted.

Apple uses its own peer-to-peer protocol called “Apple Wireless Direct Link” (AWDL) for communication between the devices. It is a patented technique whose code is not open source.

After sharing via airdrop, no “treacherous” contact information can be found on the target and source device.

In China, Apple allows data exchange between strangers for up to ten minutes. The corresponding option must then be reactivated.

The company confirms media reports that the AirDrop restriction will be implemented globally in 2023. The reason given is that the intent is to mitigate unwanted file sharing (such as “Dick Pics”).

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman:

What Happened So Far (Timeline)

Why did Apple restrict the Airdrop feature only in China?

There is no official statement on this.

The timing of the airdrop restriction is already highly suspect, or suggests that it was carried out at the behest of the Beijing regime.

The “Handelsblatt” spoke to the German business ethicist Alicia Hennig – and she speaks of a great dependence on China. While other American tech companies distanced themselves from Beijing, Apple relied even more on the People’s Republic, “both as a production country and as a market”.

Apple has also been criticized in the past for making changes for Chinese users to appease the Beijing regime.

As is known, Apple has a large part of its new hardware assembled in the Chinese factories of Foxconn and Co. To break its dependence on China, Apple is increasingly turning to other low-wage countries for series production.

It has long been known that the airdrop function is used by protesting citizens in unjust states. In 2019, there were reports from Hong Kong. There, the Chinese regime is ruthlessly taking action against pro-democracy advocates and monitoring their communications. That is why activists broadcast pro-democracy messages to tourists from mainland China.

Finally, the relationship that Apple maintains with Beijing under Tim Cook should not be forgotten. Despite the economic sanctions imposed by the US government on Chinese companies (such as Huawei), Apple can continue to operate in China and benefit from a huge army of migrant hardware manufacturing workers.

What does this have to do with Twitter and Elon Musk?

Elon Musk reappeared Monday (Nov. 28) as an intellectual glue maker, falsely accusing Apple of censoring his own company and restricting free speech. Specifically, it concerns the allegation (unconfirmed by Apple) that Twitter threatened to be banned from the App Store without reason.

As a reminder, Apple is a private company that can define and enforce terms of use for its platforms. And Twitter is increasingly becoming the mouthpiece of extremists of choice – all under the guise of free speech. On the other hand, under CEO Tim Cook, Apple has reaffirmed its determination to take action against hate, violence, harassment and racism.

In fact, the social media company headed by Elon Musk is also facing heavy criticism for failing to stem a deluge of tweets reportedly from Chinese actors over the weekend. In this context, it should not be forgotten that the anti-propaganda team was also thinned when Musk ordered mass layoffs.

Sources