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Senators Ted Cruz and Patrick Leahy have written to Apple CEO Tim Cook to ask ten questions about Apple's recent removal of VPN apps from its Chinese app store:
Two US senators have written to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking why the company reportedly removed VPN apps from the company's store in China. "If these reports are true," the senators wrote, "we are concerned that Apple may be enabling the Chinese government's censorship and surveillance of the Internet."
[...] On or around July 29, Apple removed many of the most-used VPN applications from its Chinese app store. In a short email from the company, VPN providers were informed that VPN applications are considered illegal in China.
"We are writing to notify you that your application will be removed from the China App Store because it includes content that is illegal in China, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines," Apple informed the affected VPNs.
[...] Now, in a letter sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook, US senators Ted Cruz and Patrick Leahy express concern at the move by Apple, noting that if reports of the software removals are true, the company could be assisting China's restrictive approach to the Internet.
"VPNs allow users to access the uncensored Internet in China and other countries that restrict Internet freedom. If these reports are true, we are concerned that Apple may be enabling the Chines[sic] government's censorship and surveillance of the Internet."
Leahy and Cruz were cosponsors of the USA Freedom Act.
Previously: Apple Capitulates, Removes Unlicensed VPN Apps From China App Store
Russia Bans VPNs and Tor, Effective November 1
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Saturday October 21 2017, @04:41AM (2 children)
The Chinese version is worse. It opens you up not only to state surveillance, but also makes you vulnerable to anyone else who manages to get hold of your connection (say, some rogue access point MITMing you).
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday October 21 2017, @05:42AM
As opposed to what? Backdoor, no privacy whatsoever if the "master" of backdoor wants it, plus your pants down to any hacker that cracked your backdoor opened?
Both a equally bad for you as a citizen, the Chinese is no protection, the westernized version is an illusion of protection.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by tftp on Sunday October 22 2017, @02:12AM
The Chinese version is better. It tells you clearly and without doubt that this here link is not secured. Do not use it for anything that you wouldn't want printed in a newspaper; that includes your bank account, your healthcare reports, and the like. The Western version pretends that there is security, but nobody can tell how much. It creates illusion of security and prompts people to treat it as secure, when those in the know would steer away from it - like geeks keep away from twitbook, for example.