Apple and double standards: courage in the West... and submission in the East!

Apple has always presented itself as a bastion Privacy In the tech world, Apple is a company that doesn't compromise on its principles and refuses to allow any government to hack into its users' devices. We've seen it stand up to corporations, law enforcement agencies, and even governments themselves in well-known situations. But this image falters whenever the conversation turns to China, where a strange silence and concessions emerge that are completely at odds with Apple's rigor in the rest of the world. In this article, we'll explore why Apple seems to be applying double standards.

Apple and India

The story began when the Indian government asked the company to install an undeletable security application on IPhone In the country. Although its stated purpose was to track lost devices, the app opened the door to widespread surveillance with a clear and blatant violation of privacy. Apple's response was a direct rejection, without any stalling or maneuvering. The Indian government then backed down from its requirement that users be unable to delete the app. Perhaps a small step, but a significant victory for the American company.

Apple and the West

India is not alone. Apple faced enormous pressure in the United States when the FBI asked it to open a backdoor for the iPhone in the famous San Bernardino case, and the same situation was repeated in the Pensacola case.

In Britain, Apple took a similar stance when the British government demanded a compromise on end-to-end encryption for iMessage. The company threatened to withdraw its Messages and FaceTime apps rather than compromise their encryption. The result was that the British government backed down.

Thus, we can say that Apple can stand up to Western governments and major democracies and say no without any concern or fear for its interests, and ultimately win. But what about the East?

Apple and double standards

When we move to China, we find a completely different version of Apple. There, we see a company that quietly capitulates and uses the cliché, “Apple is committed to complying with the laws of every country in which it operates.” Here are some of the most prominent examples of Apple’s submission to the Beijing government:

• China requested the removal of news apps that did not conform to its narrative, and they were removed.
• I requested the deletion of hundreds of VPN applications, and it was done.
• I rejected the existence of Skype because it was unmonitored, so it disappeared.
• They wanted to restrict AirDrop after the protests, so they added a ten-minute time limit.
• Apple allowed Chinese iCloud users' data to be stored on government-owned servers, while handing over encryption keys.

Thus, users in China were left without real privacy and without objection from the iPhone manufacturer.

Finally, you might wonder why Apple seems to have such a contradiction in its stance. The answer is complex but clear: China isn't just a market for Apple; it's the backbone of its production chains and manufacturing processes for all its products. Therefore, leaving China would mean losing a massive market and factories that cannot be replaced anywhere else with the same level of efficiency. Conversely, Apple invests billions in the local economy and provides millions of jobs. So, if Apple were to decide to stand up to China, it might lose or gain—we'll never know, as the company hasn't tested this possibility yet.

Source:

9to5mac