Apple CEO Silent When Asked About Chinese Protests
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Apple CEO Tim Cook remained silent on Thursday when asked a series of questions about Apple’s interference in recent protests in China challenging President Xi Jinping’s authoritarian rule and strict “zero-Covid” policy.
Fox Business’s Hillary Vaughn asked Cook if he supports the Chinese people’s right to protest and if he has any reaction to the factory workers that were beaten and detained for protesting Covid lockdowns. Cook, who was on Capitol Hill Thursday to meet with lawmakers, did not respond.
Tim Cook on the Hill, via @hillary__vaughn: pic.twitter.com/4Fldolz69A
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) December 1, 2022
She then asked if he “regrets restricting airdrop access that protesters used to evade surveillance from the Chinese government” and if he believes it is “problematic” to do business with the Chinese Community Party when they “suppress human rights.” Cook did not answer either question.
Protests broke out over the weekend after an apartment fire in Urumqi killed ten people and injured nine, sparking outrage as protesters believed the Covid-19 lockdowns trapped the residents or slowed the response of emergency services. While Beijing quickly cracked down on protests, sending security forces to the streets to round up protesters, the CCP also appeared Thursday to begin pulling back on Covid-19 restrictions in several areas.
Chinese protesters have historically relied upon Apple’s AirDrop function to send information to nearby citizens while avoiding strict censorship on social media. However, AirDrop was limited earlier this month in a software update applying only to iPhones sold in mainland China.
The latest update allows iPhone users in China to only receive files, images, and videos from other non-contacts for 10 minutes, after which the AirDrop settings automatically shift back to contact-only, per 9to5Mac. Apple plans to bring the update to iPhones across the world next year, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, Apple previously excluded users in China from a feature designed to give users more privacy online last year. In 2017, the tech giant pulled several virtual private network services from the Chinese version of its App Store, according to CNBC.
