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> Apple has handed over the entire operation of iCloud in China to a regime owned company, including all user data and keys (they did warn users that they were going to do that though).

Woah. I don’t know how I missed this news for so long.

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They offset that with PR over refusing cooperation with the FBI. A lot easier to be principled in the countries where the rule of law is followed.

And then Apple gave up on strongly encrypting user backups so govs can just ask nicely for iPhone users data anywhere in the world:

https://www.androidcentral.com/apple-may-have-ditched-encryp...

This is unfortunately the only way to operate an online service in China. It’s standard practice (and a legal requirement) to hand off the ownership and control of Chinese servers to a separate Chinese company. Apple has been pretty transparent about this.

One could argue that Apple should have just exited the Chinese market instead of letting the local government spy on their citizens. Google has taken that position.

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