Apple Agrees To Chinese Security Audits of Its Products

itwbennett writes According to a story in the Beijing News, Apple CEO Tim Cook has agreed to let China's State Internet Information Office to run security audits on products the company sells in China in an effort to counter concerns that other governments are using its devices for surveillance. "Apple CEO Tim Cook agreed to the security inspections during a December meeting in the U.S. with information office director Lu Wei, according to a story in the Beijing News. China has become one of Apple’s biggest markets, but the country needs assurances that Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad protect the security and privacy of their users as well as maintain Chinese national security, Lu told Cook, according to an anonymous source cited by the Beijing News."

Comments

From the home of industrial espionage, China

[sethstorm]

Given the historically proven record of China and its espionage, it should be the other way around. It is a part of their history and their culture.

Nortel? After the Chinese were done with them, Huawei and ZTE rose up as PRC military-backed entities.
US government contractors? The Chinese have been continually caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
Any company that deals with China? Expect clones if your designs aren't tightly controlled.

On the other hand, the accusations against the US rely on baseless allegations from a cowardly individual. The desire to preserve one's own life, through the trading of national secrets for protection, put the lives of US citizens at danger. Enemies changed their actions based on the improper and unlawful disclosures of classified material.

The only valid response to such demands from China is to turn up the heat on their actions. Huawei's banishment from the US and Australian governments was a good start in that respect.