Chinese iCloud Users Warned The Government Could Access Their Data

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Apple has agreed to store iCloud data in China, allowing the country's authorities to bypass the US court system when seeking information on its users.

Until now, cryptographic keys were stored in the US, meaning that if the Chinese government wanted access to a Chinese iCloud account, it needed to go through the US legal system.

 And while between 2013 and 2017 China made 176 requests for information on iCloud users, Apple turned them all down.

Now, though, following an order from the Chinese government, Apple is about to open a Chinese data center where from 1 March the keys for Chinese iCloud accounts will be stored.

The data center is being run jointly with Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD), a company linked to the government of the southern province of Guizhou. Another's being planned for Ulanqab City in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

And storing data within China itself means that the government and law enforcement agencies will be able to access text messages, emails and other data stored by Apple under Chinese law.

Apple has said that the Chinese authorities won't be given a back-door - but they won't need one. While requests for data will have to conform to Chinese law, this is far looser than the US's. There's no requirement for a court-approved warrant; Police are allowed to collect potential evidence far more easily, with the public and businesses required to cooperate.