China has ordered all central government employees to stop using Apple’s iPhone and other foreign devices for official business, the Wall Street Journal reports. The new policy is an attempt by China to reduce its reliance on foreign technology and limit the flow of sensitive information out of the country.
According to the WSJ report, employees at some central agencies have been instructed by their superiors via chat groups or meetings not to bring such devices into the office, but it’s not yet clear how widespread these orders have been.
China has restricted government officials in some agencies from using iPhones for several years, but the latest order is an attempt to ensure that the rule is strictly enforced. China has also ordered its agencies and state-owned enterprises to replace foreign technology with domestic alternatives that are considered secure and controllable.
Tensions between China and the US have led the latter to work with its allies to deny Beijing access to the equipment it needs to keep its chip industry competitive, Reuters reported.
The WSJ report added that the Chinese government has restricted the use of Tesla vehicles by state-owned companies and military personnel in 2021, due to concerns that data collected by the cars could be a source of national security leaks.
Apple’s reliance on China:Â
Apple’s iPhones dominate the high-end smartphone market in China and are popular with both the government and private sectors in the country. China accounts for nearly 19 per cent of the Cupertino-based tech giant’s revenue.
China requires some foreign companies to store locally collected data. Apple and Tesla have both built data centres in China, but such moves may not be enough to allay Beijing’s national security concerns, the WSJ report said.
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Updated: 06 Sep 2023, 02:44 PM IST
