It seems Apple is more inclined towards China. It removed Taiwan flag emoji from iOS in Hong Kong soon after the launch of iOS 13.*. Now, Apple has also started to share safe browsing data of its official browser to a Chinese tech giant named Tencent.
Tencent is one of the most valuable tech companies in the world, based in China. It owns QQ instant messaging service dubbed as Chinese Whatsapp. It holds a major percentage in popular online games i.e. PUBG and Fortnite. It is also as runs a large venture capital fund.
Based on the WebKit engine, the graphical web browser, Safari is a default web application to navigate the World Wide Web on iPhone. It is the most popular internet browser in the US with a market share of over 50 percent according to StatCounter.
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Before this, Apple’s Safari used to send browsing data to Google Safe Browsing to block pirated websites. According to Apple, this would benefit them in preventing users from phishing scams by using its fraudulent website warning feature. This was done after showing the popped up message to the user, which gives the user a bit of cyber consciousness about its web surfing.
But as suggested by the ReclaimTheNet, that the users of Hong Kong have inferred that iOS 13 or possibly the iOS 12.2 sends their data to internet-based technology enterprise based in China. By keeping in mind the close ties of Socialist Chinese Government with Tencent, this act of data transfer stirred the public debate that whether it solely aimed for information protection or for the accomplishment of any other political agenda.
Moreover, security experts assert that users of the Safari browser who reside outside of China would also have not any exemption from this kind of security watchdog.
The Engadget has asked Apple for its stance which yet to be reported by officials. The user can read it by accessing the Settings app of the phone and selecting “Safari > About Privacy & Security.”
Thereby, Apple makes a clear declaration about sending IP addresses to Google Safe browsing and Tencent Safe browsing. The IP address might help them to locate and identify a user’s profile by linking requests.
Does not this decision affect the privacy policy of Apple? Does Apple have any choice than to bow to China? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Featured image: NurPhoto/Getty
