Three People Sent to Prison in China Over iPad 2 Leaks

ipad 2 hand
The Wall Street Journal reports that three people have been sent to prison in China over their roles in facilitating leaks of information on the iPad 2 prior to its release.

The court announced the decision Tuesday in statements on its official account at Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service in China. It said that Xiao Chengsong, general manager of Shenzhen MacTop Electronics Co., had offered 20,000 yuan, or about $3,000, plus discounts on MacTop products to a former Hon Hai employee named Hou Pengna, for information about the iPad 2. The court said Ms. Hou then paid Lin Kecheng, a Hon Hai research-and-development employee, to get digital images of the device's back cover from last September, six months before the iPad 2 was publicly announced.

The three people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 months and are subject to fines ranging from approximately $4,500 to $23,000.

Cases for the iPad 2 began appearing on Chinese supply sites four months ahead of Apple's official unveiling, and it was revealed in late April that three workers had been arrested in connection with the leak soon after those initial cases appeared. The employees cited in that report had been claimed to be Foxconn employees and are presumed to be the same ones sentenced to prison in the new report, although only two of them were actually Foxconn employees while the the third was manager of the case manufacturing company that solicited the information.

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Top Rated Comments

bbeagle Avatar
188 months ago
I dont know, but being imprisoned for anything but a violent crime seems overly harsh to me.*

How about someone like Bernie Madoff who ruins thousands of people's lives by stealing all their retirement money?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
levitynyc Avatar
188 months ago
Do they jail US Apple employees for leaks?

I'd hate to be in a Chinese prison for any duration.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gkarris Avatar
188 months ago
Backlight leaks = okay though... :eek:

;)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wikus Avatar
188 months ago
I dont know, but being imprisoned for anything but a violent crime seems overly harsh to me.*

* Of course, this is not the way most governments, including the U.S. government, see it. But I beg to differ.

USA still has the death sentence. I'd be very careful with comparisons.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gamoe Avatar
188 months ago
I'd hate to be in a Chinese prison for any duration.
I dont know, but being imprisoned for anything but a violent crime seems overly harsh to me.*

* Of course, this is not the way most governments, including the U.S. government, see it. But I beg to differ.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jhvander Avatar
188 months ago
Honestly, if Apple were really a great company, they'd build their hardware in countries that respect human rights. Yes, it would cost more. Think different.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)