Today it was reported that Apple hoped to have Apple Intelligence on its devices in China by May. However, that may be coming at a price. Apple will be working with China-based Alibaba and Baidu to make this happen.
As noted by the Independent such collaboration will make sure that Apple Intelligence complies with Chines censorship laws. Alibaba’s software will basically be an intermediary layer that allows government-directed content filtering without the user knowing it.
Alibaba’s software will basically be an intermediary layer that allows government-directed content filtering without the user knowing it, according to a Bloomberg report (a subscription is required to read the article). The Apple Intelligence features that result from the Apple/Alibaba/Baidu partnership will only be available on Apple devices sold within China. Gadgets purchased elsewhere and brought into the country won’t have access to the local AI system.
Doubtless this will understandably lead to further accusations that Apple capitulates to the Chinese government. As far back as 2021, four members of Congress — Ken Buck, Scott Fitzgerald, Burgess Owens, and Dan Bishop — signed a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking Apple to end its “near total capitulation to the communist regime in China.” The letter described Apples relationship with the Chinese government as a contradiction to Apple’s core values of holding privacy as a fundamental human right.
That year, Quran Majeed, an iOS app for “reading and listening to the Quran on the go,” has been removed from the Chinese App Store, apparently at the request of the local government. In December 2020, the tech giant removed nearly 39,000 apps from its Chinese App Store due to the apps lacking an official license from local regulators.
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Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today