Privacy seems to be an illusion on the web. China makes its lack of privacy projection very obvious while U.S. may not be so obvious. Without Edward Snowden, we might not have known the state of privacy violations in U.S. Yet, we do not need to freak out: if governments need these violations to provide security, I would not care that much. I just hope this excessive privacy intrusion stops for security. If Apple allows China to have access to iCloud accounts of China-based users, it means China has won big on policing its citizens.
Apple is moving iCloud accounts registered in mainland China to state-run Chinese servers, along with the digital keys needed to unlock them. This has human rights groups and privacy advocates worried because Chinese authorities now have all the tools they need to access users’ data. Apple made the move to comply with China’s regulations on cloud services, and it highlights the trade-offs global companies make to do business in China. (CNN Newsletter)
Yes, the talks of corporate values are moving targets. If a government runs the servers which private companies rent to support their customers, you may think that companies that support such have no core values. For them, it is all profit. Yet, when you look at this critically, you would agree that Apple has no choice: how can a global phone company leave the largest smartphone market in the world? Not possible. So Apple has to do what it has to do irrespective of what privacy crusaders are writing.
That takes me to oil companies that pollute Niger Delta in Nigeria, and do what they cannot do in their lands. We can blame those companies but what is happening in China tells me that firms are just looking for alpha and most would do anything to maximize same. Where you have laws, even draconian, they would bend provided they would make money. But where you have none, they would maximize the worst of the unregulated space.
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Nigeria should blame itself for the mess in Niger Delta. These foreign empires actually comply with local regulations if you are serious to push them to do just that. Yes, Apple is hosting user accounts in government’s servers and has handed over users’ “passwords and usernames” to governments. If that is possible, Nigeria can shape its environmental policy and every company would comply.
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