China Expanding Government iPhone Ban

China earlier this week banned government officials from using iPhones and other foreign smartphones for work or from bringing such devices to their government offices, and now China is expanding the ban. According to Bloomberg, multiple state agencies and state companies have started telling workers not to bring their iPhones in to their jobs.

iPhone 14 Pros in Hand Black Background Feature
The restriction is expected to expand to additional government-controlled organizations in the future as China aims to block foreign technology. China does not yet have a formal injunction, so it is not yet known how many companies may adopt the iPhone restrictions. China has a huge number of state-owned enterprises in power generation, seaport construction, mining, manufacturing, education, and investment markets. Foreign devices have historically been discouraged in sensitive agencies, but China is now taking a firmer stance.

China is an important market for Apple, and the ban could push customers to purchase Chinese-made devices if they are unable to use their personal iPhones for much of the day. Bloomberg suggests that the strictness of the bans could vary from company to company, with some banning Apple products from the workplace and some preventing employees from using Apple devices entirely.

Apple stock has been dropping since yesterday, and it is down over 5 percent as of Thursday.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: China

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

These 5 Features Will Make the iPhone 17 the Biggest Update in Years

Monday July 22, 2024 4:02 pm PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 16 models that we're expecting to see in September are going to be quite similar to the iPhone 15 models, but rumors suggest that Apple is making big changes in 2025. We've been hearing hints of an all-new device in the iPhone lineup, and it may be the most expensive iPhone Apple has offered to date. New 'Slim' Design Rumors have taken to referring to the new iPhone 17...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 4

Tuesday July 23, 2024 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 18 today, introducing small changes to a number of features throughout the operating system. There are no big additions in this beta, but Apple is continuing to refine existing settings and design choices. Apple plans to continue updating iOS 18 over the next few months, with the update set to be released this fall. We've rounded up all of the changes...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Launch Early Next Year With OLED Display, 48MP Camera, and More

Monday July 22, 2024 7:22 am PDT by
The fourth-generation iPhone SE will offer a series of major upgrades over the current model, the leaker known as "Ice Universe" claims. The information was listed in a post on Weibo, which also detailed the specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup. As previously rumored, the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to feature Face ID and USB-C, marking a major upgrade from current and previous ...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

sparkinstx Avatar
12 months ago
Apple should run a TV ad promoting this as a selling point. "The iPhone is so secure that the Chinese government doesn't allow their employees to bring one to work. Security. That's iPhone."
Score: 101 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iZac Avatar
12 months ago
How else will they surveil party members without root access to their Huawei devices?
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NEPOBABY Avatar
12 months ago

I don't think they realize this won't have the intended effect on US politicians.

The right sees Apple as a "woke" company.

The left sees Apple as an evil mega-corp.

All this is going to accomplish is accelerate Apple's withdrawal from Chinese manufacturing.
It's just sabre rattling by the CCP. They do this often to manipulate markets and play the patriotism card. It's nonsense. Last week they were yelling at Japan for releasing tritium very slowly over the next 30 years but China releases a hundred times more tritium into the sea in just one year.

They gamble on markets. They manipulate markets. They have sovereign funds. Whenever you see dictator regimes rattle their sabres they are just trying to move numbers up and down.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
12 months ago
I don't think they realize this won't have the intended effect on US politicians.

The right sees Apple as a "woke" company.

The left sees Apple as an evil mega-corp.

All this is going to accomplish is accelerate Apple's withdrawal from Chinese manufacturing.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robertmorris2 Avatar
12 months ago
time to get out of china.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
12 months ago

How else will they surveil party members without root access to their Huawei devices?
China doesn't need root access when they have control of Apple's data centers and easy access to user data

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/technology/apple-china-privacy-censorship.html

Over two decades, Apple built the world’s most valuable company on top of China. It now assembles nearly all of its products in the country and generates a fifth of its sales there. In turn, the Chinese government has pressured Apple executives to make compromises that flout the values they espouse.

An investigation by The New York Times revealed how Apple has risked its Chinese customers’ data and aided the Chinese government’s censorship. Here are five takeaways:


* Apple stores customer data on Chinese government servers.
* Apple now shares customer data with the Chinese government.
* Apple proactively removes apps to placate Chinese officials.
* Apple banned apps from a Communist Party critic.
* Tens of thousands of iPhone apps have disappeared in China.




Apple should run a TV ad promoting this as a selling point. "The iPhone is so secure that the Chinese government doesn't allow their employees to bring one to work. Security. That's iPhone."
iPhone may be secure. But customer data is not.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)