Apple has announced it is setting up its first China data center in partnership with a local internet services company, in accordance with the country's new cybersecurity laws introduced last month.

Apple told Reuters on Wednesday that the data center would be built in the southern province of Guizhou with data management firm Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry (GCBD) as part of a planned $1 billion investment in the province.

Apple Data Center

"The addition of this data centre will allow us to improve the speed and reliability of our products and services while also complying with newly passed regulations," Apple said in a statement. "These regulations require cloud services be operated by Chinese companies so we're partnering with GCBD to offer iCloud," it said, referring to its online data storage service.

According to Reuters, Apple is the first foreign tech firm to announce amendments to its data storage arrangements in China after a new cybersecurity law was implemented in June which requires foreign firms to store data within the country. Other tech firms with data centers in China include Microsoft and Amazon, which will also need to comply with the new rules.

Overseas business groups have been critical of the law's strict data surveillance and storage requirements, which they say are overly vague and burden companies with excessive compliance risks, threatening proprietary data. Authorities say the law is not designed to put foreign firms at a disadvantage and was introduced as a response to the threat of cyber attacks and terrorism.

Apple assured reporters it had strong privacy and security protections in place. "No backdoors will be created into any of our systems," said a company spokesman.

Earlier this week, Apple announced it was building a second data center in Denmark run entirely on renewable energy. The company said a planned data center in Athenry, Ireland, announced in 2015, had yet to begin construction and is awaiting judicial review.

Tag: China

Top Rated Comments

makitango Avatar
104 months ago
For as long they only host local user data there, I'm fine with that. But I do not appreciate having my data lying around in overly-analyzing-user-data-China, may Apple have an interest in my privacy or not. Other countries may do the same but they also have some watchmen watching the watchmen.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AZ63 Avatar
104 months ago
Hmmm… China may start a trend. All countries can now force Apple and other companies to have server farms in their countries that must be used to backup/store online user data for those in that country. This would simplify governments getting access to user data. No longer would governments who have a warrant to review a person's data need to go through international organizations because the data would no longer be stored in a different country.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flameproof Avatar
101 months ago
I'm no expert in network systems but how is Apple going to avoid Chinese interfering in their servers if they are physically there? Specially with Chinese tight control.
Easy, they don't.

A Local Chinese Government Will Oversee Apple’s New iCloud Data Center

The Guizhou government said on its website that the Apple iCloud working committee would be made up of around 10 members, such as Guizhou's Executive Vice Governor Qin Rupei, Deputy Secretary-general Ma Ningyu and other officials.



http://fortune.com/2017/08/14/apple-china-icloud-data-center/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miknos Avatar
104 months ago
I'm no expert in network systems but how is Apple going to avoid Chinese interfering in their servers if they are physically there? Specially with Chinese tight control.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Plutonius Avatar
104 months ago
As this data center is for storing Chinese user data. It should not affect outsiders.
I think the key word is "should not".

Do we really know what will be on the servers ?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canny Avatar
104 months ago
I don't want why data available to the Chinese government.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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