Apple and the delicate question of its stance in China Apfelpatient

Apple has cultivated a global image synonymous with data privacy, security, and clear values. The company likes to present itself as one that doesn't blindly follow government demands but rather protects its own principles. However, this stance varies significantly from country to country. The comparison between India and China, in particular, illustrates how flexibly Apple interprets its convictions.

Apple often defends its brand and its own principles resolutely. Whether it's encryption, backdoors, or government surveillance, the company presents itself as a guarantor of privacy. But this steadfastness isn't consistent everywhere. While Apple sets clear boundaries in the US, UK, and India, the company behaves conspicuously cautiously in China. The reasons are complex and closely linked to economic dependence. These very differences demonstrate that while Apple has a strong position, it doesn't leverage it in all markets.

Apple defies India and prevails.

The latest dispute began when the Indian government demanded that Apple pre-install a government security app on every iPhone. This app was also to be non-deletable. Officially, the aim was to make it easier to locate lost or stolen devices. In practice, however, this would have given the government the technical capability to track every iPhone in the country. For Apple, this was a clear invasion of privacy.

Apple rejected the demand. No pre-installation, no non-removable apps. This outright refusal led India to drop the first part of its demand and concede that the app did, in fact, have to be removable. Shortly thereafter, the government also completely abandoned the requirement for pre-installation. Apple thus prevailed on all points.

Previous examples of Apple's resistance

The conflict with India is not an isolated incident. Apple has repeatedly refused to comply with government demands when these would have jeopardized security or privacy.

The most famous example is the San Bernardino case from 2016. After the shooting, the FBI demanded that Apple create a backdoor to unlock the perpetrator's iPhone. Apple stood firm. The company argued that such a backdoor would not only affect a single device but would create a fundamental security risk for all iPhones. Despite intense pressure, Apple refused and ultimately proved right. The FBI later found another way to access the device.

Later, a similar case occurred in Pensacola. Here too, Apple stood by its position and refused any compromise on security.

Another conflict arose in Great Britain. The government demanded that Apple either break or modify the end-to-end encryption of iMessage. Apple made it clear that it would rather remove iMessage and FaceTime from the British market than compromise the encryption. Here, too, the government backed down.

These examples show that Apple is quite prepared to stand up to government demands when its own principles are affected.

In China, everything looks different.

While Apple maintains a clear policy in India, the UK, and the US, its stance in China is significantly different. There, Apple has accepted every government demand, even those that directly contradicted its publicly stated corporate values.

Several news apps had to be removed from the Chinese App Store, including the New York Times app in 2017 and the Quartz news app in 2019. The reason was that their reporting did not comply with government guidelines.

When Chinese citizens used VPN apps to bypass the Great Firewall, the government demanded that Apple remove more than 400 of these apps. Apple complied.

The same pattern emerged with Skype, which was removed due to a lack of surveillance capabilities, with a protest app from Hong Kong, and with several dating apps for homosexual people.

During the Hong Kong protests, many citizens used the AirDrop function with the "Everyone" setting to share information about the demonstrations. As a result, China mandated that Apple implement a ten-minute time limit for sharing. Apple complied with this requirement.

Particularly serious was the decision to move the iCloud data of Chinese users to servers of the state-controlled company GCBD. With this move, Apple effectively released the iCloud encryption keys and granted the state full access to the data of Chinese users.

Why Apple is giving in to China

The official explanation is always the same: Apple adheres to the laws of all countries in which it operates. But this statement doesn't explain why Apple is willing to challenge these laws in some countries, while in China it complies with every government directive.

The crucial point lies in economic dependence. China is not only a huge sales market, but above all the central production location for almost all Apple products. Without the Chinese manufacturing industry, producing iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks in their current form would hardly be possible. A conflict with China would hit Apple much harder than any other market.

At the same time, China benefits massively from Apple. Production, jobs, and technological infrastructure are closely linked to the company's success. Both sides therefore have a lot to lose. That's precisely why it would be interesting to see what would happen if Apple openly questioned or rejected at least some of the government's demands.

The question is whether Apple lives by its principles in China as well.

Whether Apple will ever take such a clear stance in China as it has in the US, UK, or India remains uncertain. The company might fail, and China might react harshly. Or perhaps Apple would gain respect and achieve at least some small successes. The only certainty is that Apple holds a significantly stronger position than it appears.

The company has already proven its ability to stand up to powerful governments. The question is whether Apple is prepared to apply this self-confidence where it's most difficult. In China, it would be a risky move. But one that would demonstrate that Apple's values transcend national borders. The best products for you: Our Amazon storefront offers a wide selection of accessories, including those for HomeKit. (Image: Shutterstock / ABCDstock)