Apple restricts iphone tool used to defy China’s censors
APPLE has brought in new restrictions on a file-sharing tool that was relied on by Chinese iphone users as one of the last ways left to share anti-government material with strangers.
Under yesterday’s update to the Airdrop function, users of smartphones sold by Apple in China can only receive files from non-contacts for a 10-minute window before it automatically shuts off. The feature did not previously have a time limit.
The update, rolled out in the operating system released overnight, makes it virtually impossible to receive unexpected files from strangers.
The change follows widespread reports of people using Airdrop to spread leaflets critical of the Chinese Communist Party in crowded public spaces, partly inspired by a protest in Beijing in which a man hung banners calling for the removal of President Xi Jinping.
Chinese censors quickly scrubbed online videos and posts referring to the protest, while hundreds of users on the popular payment and chat app Wechat had their accounts blocked after speaking about the rare act of rebellion.
Apple did not respond immediately to a request for comment and did not give a reason for the specific change.
It said in its update description for users the operating system now “includes bug fixes and security updates”. Some Chinese social media users questioned why the function was only being rolled out on Chinese iphones.
One Weibo commenter joked about the friendliness of the Apple chief executive with Beijing: “So is Tim Cook a Party member or not?”
Another wrote: “Can’t you tell this is Apple making a compromise?
“It used to be a great method to bypass censorship.”
The California-based tech giant, which touts security and privacy protections as key features of its devices, has previously faced criticism for alleged concessions to Beijing.
That included opening a data centre in China, as well as removing an app in 2019 that allowed Hong Kong prodemocracy protesters to keep track of police.
It has also faced boycott threats in China as it stands in the crossfire of Uschina tensions, with Beijing warning in 2020 that it could turn its citizens against Apple if Washington blocked Chinese apps.