Why Apple plays China’s censorship game

Apple’s earnings call on Tuesday yielded good news overall in terms of sales, but one inescapable issue came up again that will likely shape the company’s future on the international stage: The Great Firewall of China. 

Based on the events of the last few days, we now know that even the biggest tech company on the planet can’t put a significant crack in that impenetrable wall of internet censorship that gives the Chinese government ultimate power over all things internet — Silicon Valley “disruption” be damned.   

On Saturday, Apple confirmed that it had removed a number of VPN apps from its China App Store in compliance with local law. At the time, the move was described by Apple as adhering to China’s rule of law, which intensified back in January with regard to VPNs that help Chinese users skirt the government’s tight control of the internet.  Read more…

More about Apple, Iphone, China, Cybersecurity, and Censorship