Post by account_disabled on Feb 27, 2024 1:04:54 GMT -5
State employees across China, from nuclear power plants to remote hospitals, have been told in recent weeks to stop using Apple phones, part of a Beijing-led backlash against the U.S. tech group that has driven down the value of its shares at $200 billion this week. . Employees at a wide range of Chinese government agencies and state-owned companies have been asked by their superiors not to use Apple iPhones, extending a cooldown in government use of the American company's devices that dates back years. "Our management informed us in August that we should not bring any Apple products, whether mobile phones or laptops, into office buildings," an employee at China National Nuclear Corporation, who asked not to be identified given the seriousness, told the Financial Times. about the topic. sensitivity. Five other employees from various government institutions and state-owned companies confirmed that there were a number of limits on its use, with some unofficial restrictions going back many years.
Neither Beijing – which has not announced any formal restrictions – nor Apple have commented on the reports of bans, first raised this week by the Wall Street Journal. But just days before Apple launches a new Jordan Mobile Number List smartphone, the reports alarmed investors in the company, which depends on China for about a fifth of its revenue. “This must have come from the top,” said Willy Lam, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation think tank. "It's a big decision that could affect many Apple employees in China and is sending a message to American and multinational corporations with business interests in China." An informal ban sends a “message to the US government about the need to impose restrictions on its technology sector,” he said. The employee of the China National Nuclear Corporation said that the state-owned China Telecom came to its offices in late August to sell domestic phone brands. "We were told that US security agencies could monitor Apple devices through security loopholes," the employee said.
The target includes not only military personnel but key personnel in all walks of life." A nurse at a state hospital in Inner Mongolia said the local government had ordered hospital staff to stop using iPhones at the end of August, citing the "huge security risks" of iOS. Other state employees said the unofficial restrictions went back much further. A police officer said they had been banned from using iPhones a few years ago. A Beijing official said central government departments with ties to the military had also banned iPhone use several years ago. Over the past two years, officials in government agencies, including those in non-sensitive sectors, have been encouraged to opt for Chinese alternatives, particularly Huawei, they said. However, restrictions across government agencies are far from uniform. The 10th General Design Department of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation published a post on China's social media service WeChat on Monday informing staff of the procedures for checking their iPhone for spyware.
Neither Beijing – which has not announced any formal restrictions – nor Apple have commented on the reports of bans, first raised this week by the Wall Street Journal. But just days before Apple launches a new Jordan Mobile Number List smartphone, the reports alarmed investors in the company, which depends on China for about a fifth of its revenue. “This must have come from the top,” said Willy Lam, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation think tank. "It's a big decision that could affect many Apple employees in China and is sending a message to American and multinational corporations with business interests in China." An informal ban sends a “message to the US government about the need to impose restrictions on its technology sector,” he said. The employee of the China National Nuclear Corporation said that the state-owned China Telecom came to its offices in late August to sell domestic phone brands. "We were told that US security agencies could monitor Apple devices through security loopholes," the employee said.
The target includes not only military personnel but key personnel in all walks of life." A nurse at a state hospital in Inner Mongolia said the local government had ordered hospital staff to stop using iPhones at the end of August, citing the "huge security risks" of iOS. Other state employees said the unofficial restrictions went back much further. A police officer said they had been banned from using iPhones a few years ago. A Beijing official said central government departments with ties to the military had also banned iPhone use several years ago. Over the past two years, officials in government agencies, including those in non-sensitive sectors, have been encouraged to opt for Chinese alternatives, particularly Huawei, they said. However, restrictions across government agencies are far from uniform. The 10th General Design Department of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation published a post on China's social media service WeChat on Monday informing staff of the procedures for checking their iPhone for spyware.