Apple has faced heat in recent weeks over its   compliance     with Chinese laws in order to continue its operations in China. Obeying local law in Ch

Apple Faces Criticism Over Its Cooperation With China

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2021-05-27 06:00:07

Apple has faced heat in recent weeks over its compliance with Chinese laws in order to continue its operations in China. Obeying local law in China means that Apple shares consumer data with the government and censors content according to Chinese government standards. The company has removed certain apps from the Chinese Apple app store, including programs used by Hong Kong protesters to track the police and VPNs used by Chinese internet users to evade censorship .

Apple relies on China to manufacture many of the components used in its devices but also sells its devices to Chinese users in large numbers. Some U.S. tech giants, like Facebook, are blocked in China, while others, like Amazon, are not competitive with their Chinese equivalents. Google had previously flip-flopped on its decision to operate in the country; many of its services are now effectively banned .

The critiques of Apple’s business in China come in the midst of a spat between Apple and companies like Facebook and Google, whose business models depend on targeted advertising. In its latest version of iOS, Apple rolled out several new privacy-protecting features, most significantly an opt-in to tracking by third-party apps. This new feature seems poised to take a chunk out of Facebook’s revenues as consumers ask apps “not to track” them in droves. While implementing these changes, Apple has criticized Facebook’s ad-based business model both implicitly and explicitly.

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