US Attorney General William Barr has taken aim at Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, Cisco, Hollywood, and others over their interactions with China. Some of those, Mr. Barr went so far as to allege, are willing „pawns of Chinese influence,” reports indicate. The commentary was given during a speech at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Library, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Apple and Cisco reportedly bore the brunt of the scathing remarks. The latter company was specifically called out for its role in building the „Great Firewall of China.”
The term is commonly used to describe China’s authoritarian take on networking and communications. More succinctly, its the combination of legislation and technology used by China to keep a tight grip on Internet use in the country. That includes a wide array of censorship and monitoring.
On Apple, AG Barr pointed more directly to the company’s use of servers located in China as part of its iCloud data network. The servers, according to Mr. Barr, allow Chinese access to emails, texts, and other personal data. But the Attorney General also pointed out that Apple was more than willing to remove a news app from the region at the Chinese government’s request. Apple removed the Quartz app from the App Store in China following complaints from the government about unfavorable news curated by the app.
Additionally, Mr. Barr called out Apple for its failure to cooperate in unlocking smartphones associated with terrorist attacks.
Hollywood and other US companies didn’t go unscathed here either
More general comments were also made by the US Attorney General about the ongoing trade war between the US and China, leaving Google and other tech giants aside. According to Mr. Barr, the Chinese Government has effectively been „engaged in an economic blitzkrieg.”
US companies are more than willing to go along with the alleged attack „all too often,” Mr. Barr says. In doing so, he continued, the companies are putting short-term profits in a position of importance over „freedom and openness” in the US. And the list of companies said to be „all too willing to collaborate with the Chinese Communist Party” doesn’t just include tech giants. Mr. Barr also claimed that companies more commonly associated with Hollywood are a part of the problem.
Specifically, the Attorney General called out Disney, stating that the company frequently bows to demands for Chinese censorship. And that stretches across the industry, according to Mr. Barr. „Hollywood,” from actors through producers and directors, talk about freedom and the human spirit, Mr. Barr stated. But Hollywood also „censors its own movies to appease” the CCP.
Some of the tech companies have already reportedly responded but not all
Cisco and Apple have already released statements on the comments leveled against them via emails sent to CNBC. The former company notes that all of the products it supplies to China are identical to those it ships worldwide. It also says that it fully complies with export control rules that are applicable to Attorney General Barr’s statements. That includes those associated with human rights.
The company continued to say that it „does not supply equipment to China that is customized in any way.” And that includes customizations that „facilitate blocking” or „surveillance.”
Similarly, Apple responded to reiterate its own stance on cybersecurity and its „strong encryption across our devices and servers.”
Conversely, both Google and Yahoo declined to comment on the matter. Disney, Microsoft, Viacom, and others have also opted not to respond for comments.
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Source: ndroidheadlines.com