At this point we know that iCloud was under attack in China, and that it’s been at least claimed that Chinese authorities worked with hackers to collect Apple ID information from its citizens. Today, reports published in Reuters, claim that Apple’s Tim Cook is now in Beijing meeting with “top Chinese government official[s]” regarding security.
From Reuters:
At a meeting on Wednesday in Zhongnanhai, the Beijing complex housing China’s central government, Cook and Vice Premier Ma Kai exchanged views on “protection of users’ information” as well as “strengthening cooperation and in information and communication fields,” according to Xinhua.
The sum of the parts on this one doesn’t add up. According to the reports from Reuters, the Xinhua news agency, and GreatFire.org, the Chinese government, on some level, was complicit in targeting Chinese iCloud accounts. Yet, Tim Cook flies off to China to “exchange views on ‘protection of users’ information'” ?!?!
I really hope “exchange views” was a euphemism for taking out the banhammer, and hulk smashing the computer on Ma Kai’s desk. Anything short of that would be disappointing.
