“Apple Inc on Wednesday said it is setting up its first data center in China, in partnership with a local internet services company, to comply with tougher cybersecurity laws introduced last month,” Reuters reports. “The U.S. technology company said it will build the center in the southern province of Guizhou with data management firm Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Co Ltd (GCBD).”
“An Apple spokesman in Shanghai told Reuters the center is part of a planned $1 billion investment into the province,” Reuters reports. “‘The addition of this data center will allow us to improve the speed and reliability of our products and services while also complying with newly passed regulations,’ Apple said in a statement to Reuters. ‘These regulations require cloud services be operated by Chinese companies so we’re partnering with GCBD to offer iCloud,’ it said, referring to its online data storage service.”
“Apple is the first foreign firm to announce amendments to its data storage for China following the implementation of a new cybersecurity law on June 1 that requires foreign firms to store data within the country.,” Reuters reports. “Apple also said it had strong data privacy and security protections in place. ‘No backdoors will be created into any of our systems,’ it said.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Just another of the many costs of doing business in China.
I think it is a bad idea. Don’t trust China at all.
Cooperating with a repressive government to expand your customer base is a dicey thing. Where exactly do you draw the line?
China’s government contends they have a legal right to restrict the internet coming into the country and what is even on the net within China. When a company makes concessions to get at the big market it is all that much easier to bend the rules again for another government.
This Chinese government repressed, murdered and imprisoned citizens peacefully protesting and wanting democracy in their country. After they shut off all the satellite feeds they stormed Tiananmen Square and slaughtered the peaceful citizens there. Their crime was wanting democratic reforms.
Fir a generation too young to remember, this one man put his life on the line in front of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Nobody is quite sure what happened to him.
As an American, I would rather be on the side of the Tank Man than the PLA regardless how much money there is to be made. As an Apple customer and shareholder I am less than happy.
“These regulations require cloud services be operated by Chinese companies so we’re partnering with GCBD to offer iCloud,’ it said, referring to its online data storage service.”
Those Chinese companies no doubt will be tied to the government, which is obsessed with control over information.
Just as the NSA with its Stellar Wind, Trailblazer, Heartbleed, and Sigint.
Regarding nationalist claims to other people’s personal and private data, the difference between China and the NSA is their national flags, nothing more.
Firewall or isolate that data center from the US and make sure it only has ‘fluff’ data on it. Then the Chinese can do whatever they want with it.