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Apple's China iCloud Data Migration Sweeps Up International User Accounts (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the brushed-under-the-rug dept.

Yesterday, it was reported that Apple's iCloud services in mainland China will be operated by a Chinese company from next month. What wasn't reported was the fact that Apple has included iCloud accounts that were opened in the U.S., are paid for using U.S. dollars and/or are connected to U.S.-based App Store accounts in the data that will be handled by local partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD) from February 28. TechCrunch reports: Apple has given China-based users the option to delete their data, but there is no opt out that allows them to have it stored elsewhere. That has concerned some users who are uneasy that the data migration is a sign of closer ties with the Chinese government, particularly since GCBD is owned by the Guizhou provincial government. When asked for comment, Apple pointed TechCrunch to its terms and conditions site which explains that it is migrating iCloud accounts based on their location: "The operation of iCloud services associated with Apple IDs that have China in their country or region setting will be subject to this transition. You will be notified of this transition via email and notifications on your devices. You don't need to take any further action and can keep using iCloud in China. After February 28, 2018, you will need to agree to the terms and conditions of iCloud operated by GCBD to keep using iCloud in China."

However, TechCrunch found instances of iCloud accounts registered overseas that were part of the migration. One user did find an apparent opt-out. That requires the user switching their iCloud account back to China, then signing out of all devices. They then switch their phone and iCloud settings to the U.S. and then, upon signing back into iCloud, their account will (seemingly) not be part of the migration. Opting out might be a wise-move, as onlookers voice concern that a government-owned company is directly involved in storing user data.

8 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Seriously? by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "We won't let the FBI see the iPhones of people who commit mass murder in the US, but the Secret Police of Communist China gets whatever they want."

    I'm sure glad I don't use Apple, for multiple other reasons.

    1. Re:Seriously? by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "We won't let the FBI see the iPhones of people who commit mass murder in the US, but the Secret Police of Communist China gets whatever they want."

      I'm sure glad I don't use Apple, for multiple other reasons.

      Nope. This only affects iCloud. And you can opt out of using iCloud too.

      The FBI has full access to iCloud data, just like China will too (for Chinese accounts). This is due to Chinese law saying Chinese users of cloud services must have the data stored within China.

      Chinese government only has access to those servers now, and you can opt-out like you always could of iCloud services - the iPhone is not tied to it in any way other than user convenience.

      Data stored on phones only (and there's a lot that Apple isn't storing to the cloud, including passwords) remain stored on phones and the Chinese government will have to crack them same way the FBI does.

    2. Re:Seriously? by AHuxley · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Re "What makes you think they don't let the FBI see it?"
      The FBI want people to keep using their live mic, camera, GPS, file system copy system with confidence over every generation of big brand product.

      What could convince many interesting people to still trust a big US brand not be working with US law enforcement?
      If interesting people see all the phones been used as part of evidence they will just stop using the phones. The free domestic voice print collection goes dark.
      The real issue is how many criminals/spies in the USA have the security clearance connections to see the real time voice print results of domestic collection?
      In the FBI? Telco workers? Police? City/state Internal affairs? Mil contractors? Cult/faith members working for a gov/contractor in secure legal and telco areas with a top security clearance? Lawyers? The mil support teams? Other agency staff?
      The people who work on the LETC upgrades to law enforcement front company aircraft?
      How many people need to be in on nation wide domestic voice and data collection if the junk encryption keeps collection wide open over every generation of big brand product?
      Is domestic collection all out sourced to some part of the EU?
      A trusted set of contractors in a "France" does the US domestic sorting so no other level of law enforcement/mil/gov in the USA can ever find their own files in any FBI database? Nobody interesting in the US would then have to know?
      The secret is not that all US big brand encryption is junk. The place outside the USA where the real time results are sorted and kept away from US telco workers, cults, criminals, city/state police would be the secret to keep.
      No US spy under federal suspicion would be able to find results in any US database by searching domestically. Domestic parallel construction hidden out side the USA for safe keeping.

      Any criminal/faith group/corrupt police looking deep into FBI files would only find pictures of people with convictions, all US drivers license images, DNA and finger prints. All the usual data any advanced national police force has on convicted people. The domestically collected voice prints do not get stored in the USA? So the trust stays as the criminals and faith groups are sure nothing is collected from their secure big brand phone in real time. Yet the LETC flights circle a city for hours. What is getting collecting domestically if the big brands products are so secure and the results are still protected with secure encryption?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    3. Re:Seriously? by c · · Score: 2

      the Chinese government will have to crack them same way the FBI does.

      I wasn't aware that the FBI was allowed to torture the keys out of suspects? Yet.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
    4. Re: Seriously? by Monster_user · · Score: 2

      You're overcomplicating it. We already know Facebook does real time audio survelliance.

      We also know that people typically keep their phones on them.

      What we don't know is how many of the people we interact with daily have "always on" apps on their digitial devices.

    5. Re: Seriously? by AHuxley · · Score: 2

      We have one last bit of information. U.S. secretly tracked billions of calls for decades (April 7, 2015)
      https://www.usatoday.com/story...
      Would the FBI still risk such bulk sorting of voice print data within the USA given criminal, cult, faith and legal interest in all things collect it all?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    6. Re:Seriously? by phayes · · Score: 2

      I'm sure glad you're not making any decisions for me because you're conflating two different things:
      - Access to iCloud Data (the subject of TFA).
          Apple has always divulged this data when presented with a warrant, whether in the U.S. or anywhere else that they operate:
          https://www.apple.com/lae/priv...
      - Access to information on devices:
          Again, Apple co-operates with authorities when they can but cannot do so once a window of opportunity closes and the device is locked. This was the case for the Las Vegas shooter: http://thehill.com/policy/tech... and more generally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...–Apple_encryption_dispute

      One assumes that your other reasons for being "glad" you don't use Apple are just as ignorant as these.

      --
      Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  2. Re:Big brands like big gov by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2

    America : you're free to speak. And the NSA is free to listen.

    China : you're not free to speak and the Ministry of State Security is even freer than the NSA to listen to make sure you don't.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;