Apple’s AirDrop in the Crosshairs of China’s National-Security Crackdown


根据中国政府拟定的法规，近年来曾被用于中国和香港抗议活动的苹果公司AirDrop和类似文件共享程序面临更严格的控制。这是在中国不断扩大的国家安全整治行动之下触线的最新信息通讯技术。


拟议规定针对的是可用来在无需联网情况下向附近的多个设备即时发送文件、图像和其他数据的无线技术。

根据中国政府拟定的法规，近年来曾被用于中国和香港抗议活动的苹果公司(Apple, AAPL) AirDrop和类似文件共享程序面临更严格的控制。这是在中国不断扩大的国家安全整治行动之下触线的最新信息通讯技术。 6park.com
Apple’s AirDrop and similar file-sharing programs that were used by protesters in China and Hong Kong in recent years face tighter controls under rules proposed by Beijing, the latest communications technology to fall foul of a broadening national-security clampdown. 6park.com
   
中国国家互联网信息办公室(Cyberspace Administration of China, 简称：国家网信办)发布的拟议规定针对的是可用来在无需联网情况下向附近的多个设备即时发送文件、图像和其他数据的无线技术。相关规定仅以中文发布，没有点名AirDrop或其本地竞争对手。 6park.com
The planned regulations released by the Cyberspace Administration of China target wireless technologies that allow users to instantly send files, images and other data to multiple nearby devices without the need for an internet connection. The rules, which were released only in Chinese, don’t mention AirDrop or its local rivals by name. 6park.com
  
拟议的规定称，近距离自组网信息服务提供者上线具有舆论属性或社会动员能力的新技术、新应用、新功能，应当按照国家有关规定开展安全评估。国家网信办称，文件共享服务的使用者也必须向服务提供者注册其身份的详细信息。 6park.com
Before any new technologies or features linked to mobilizing public opinion or society can be introduced in China, they must undergo a security assessment, the proposed rules say. Users of file-sharing services must also register details of their identities with the service providers, the regulator said. 6park.com
   
该规定草案向社会公开征求意见，截止时间为7月6日。 国家网信办没有说明相关规定将于何时生效。 6park.com
The draft rules are open for the public to comment until July 6. The agency gave no indication of when the rules would come into effect. 6park.com
   
苹果公司本周推出了一项与AirDrop相关的新功能，名为NameDrop，个人使用该功能时，将设备放在一起即可交换联系信息。 6park.com
This week, Apple introduced a new AirDrop-related feature called NameDrop, allowing individuals to exchange contact information by bringing their devices together. 6park.com
  
苹果公司没有回应就相关规定草案置评的请求。 6park.com
The company didn’t respond to a request for comment on the draft rules. 6park.com
   
中国的营商环境越来越难以驾驭，政府划定的国家安全问题范畴不断扩大，但界定不清，红线到底在哪里让企业难以捉摸。 6park.com
China’s business environment is growing harder to navigate as the government draws an ever-widening, but poorly defined circle around what it considers national-security issues, leaving companies struggling to understand exactly where the red lines lie.  6park.com
   
近年来，中国政府已在收紧通信技术规定，加密信息类应用不受欢迎。 6park.com
Beijing had already been tightening rules on communications technology in recent years, and encrypted-messaging applications aren’t welcomed. 6park.com
  
据报道，AirDrop去年被用于反对中国严格的新冠动态清零政策的示威活动，另外在2019年，苹果公司和谷歌的数字商店均下架了与香港反政府抗议活动有关的应用程序。 6park.com
AirDrop was reportedly used during demonstrations against China’s strict zero-Covid measures last year, and in 2019, Apple and Google both removed apps associated with Hong Kong’s antigovernment protests from their digital stores. 6park.com
   
上海大邦律师事务所(DeBund Law Offices)高级合伙人游云庭说，根据拟议的规则，如果政府以安全为由提出要求，运营商可能必须交出使用这些服务发送信息的用户的电话号码、身份信息或其他信息。 6park.com
Under the proposed rules, operators will likely have to hand over phone numbers, ID data or other information of people who have sent information using the services if authorities ask for it on grounds of security, said You Yunting, a senior partner at Shanghai DeBund Law Offices. 6park.com
  
该规定草案要求，近距离自组网信息服务提供商必须保存有关记录，发现任何违法或不良信息须向网信等有关主管部门报告。至于什么是违法或不良信息并没有具体说明，不过最近公布的一系列法律法规主要聚焦个人数据保护、网络安全、反间谍和能源等这些问题。 6park.com
The draft regulation stipulates that close-range mesh network service providers must save relevant records and report any discovery of illegal or harmful information to internet regulators. What constitutes illegal or harmful information wasn’t specified, though a rash of recent laws and regulations have focused on a range of concerns from personal-data protection and cybersecurity to espionage and energy. 6park.com
  
据苹果公司报告显示，2021年下半年，该公司收到1,261份来自中国政府的关于用户设备信息的请求，并满足了其中的93%。苹果公司还收到70份关于用户账号信息的请求，满足了其中的83%。 6park.com
Apple received 1,261 requests from Beijing for information about users’ devices in the second half of 2021, and complied with 93% of them, according to the company. It also had 70 requests for users’ account information, meeting 83% of them. 6park.com
  
新规定还将要求科技公司将“关闭接收”作为文件共享功能的默认设置。未经用户许可开启，不得默认提供快照、缩略图等概要信息预览功能。这些措施旨在解决对滥用文件共享服务的担忧，其中包括对露骨或敏感内容进行的未经授权或意外的分享。 6park.com
The new rules would also require technology companies to set “receiving off” as the default for file-sharing features. Snapshot previews or thumbnails must also be disabled unless users choose otherwise. These measures aim to address concerns about the misuse of file-sharing services, including the unauthorized or accidental sharing of explicit or sensitive content. 6park.com
  
苹果公司的AirDrop设置在去年增加了“对所有人开放10分钟”的选项，取代了之前的“所有人”选项，并限制了用户使用这一功能联系不在他们联系人列表中的设备的时间。 6park.com
Last year, Apple added the “Everyone for 10 Minutes” AirDrop setting, replacing the previous “Everyone” option and limiting the amount of time that users can use this function to contact devices that aren’t in their saved contacts. 6park.com
  
中国的智能手机市场是科技公司竞相争夺的一个重要战场，根据Counterpoint Research的数据，苹果公司iPhone今年第一季度在中国的市场份额约为20%。与此同时，苹果公司电子设备的最大制造中心也设在中国，该公司严重依赖中国本地的供应链。 6park.com
China’s smartphone market is a significant battleground for tech firms, with Apple’s iPhone taking about a 20% share in the first quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. Meanwhile, the biggest centers for making Apple devices are also in China, and the company relies heavily on its local supply chain. 6park.com