China Targets Apple AirDrop And Bluetooth To Limit File Sharing In Censorship Crackdown

China is reportedly planning to curtail the use of wireless file-sharing services, such as Apple's AirDrop and Bluetooth, to "Safeguard" national security. Present settings in AirDrop allow users to receive all information deemed sensitive or explicit; however, they can choose to accept or decline the file sharing. A month-long public consultation was launched by the CAC as part of Beijing's drive to "Safeguard national security." The move comes after Apple came under the spotlight during anti-government protests in China in 2022. Protesters in China bypassed surveillance and used AirDrop to share messages against the mainland's strict zero-Covid restrictions of lockdowns and border closures in November 2022. Despite strict internet restrictions, protesters used AirDrop and Bluetooth to share content. During the period, Apple also imposed a 10-minute limit on exchanging AirDrop content via all iPhones sold in the mainland. "It is mainly about cybersecurity, and the core aim is to ensure all the information transmission can be traced in case problematic things happen," Gao Fuping, a law professor at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, told SCMP. Another analyst suggested that controls on Apple's AirDrop could result in a significant blowback in the U.S. "Apple has faced criticism in the past for its compliance practices in China. Implementation of airdrop controls could easily lead to blowback at home in the US," the expert added.