April 2020 • Macworld 99Stick to its guns
But security’s not just about technology: it’s also
about policy. It’s great that Apple has made security
and privacy a priority, but going forward, it needs
to reinforce that not only by sticking to its guns –
such as making sure that governments can’t force
it to unlock devices – but also by espousing such
practices the world over.
And that’s going to be a challenge for the
company, because one of its biggest markets – and
the home of the majority of its manufacturing – is
China. Apple has already found itself in hot water
by removing apps at the behest of the Chinese
government; moreover, its iCloud service on the
Chinese mainland is run by an in-country company,
rather than by Apple itself, an attempt to thread the
needle that looks more like trying to wash its hands
of dealing with the situation.
Make no mistake: Apple has put a lot of its
eggs in the basket that is China, and that makes
it particularly vulnerable to demands from that
country’s government. While it’s not financially
practical for Apple to take a principled stand – even
if it wants to – the company had best be looking
at ways to untangle itself from China over the
long term if it wants to continue making privacy
and security one of its competitive advantages.
Otherwise it starts to look like the company can talk
the talk, but not walk the walk.