China has ordered all central government employees to halt using Apple’s iPhone and other foreign devices at official work, the Wall Street Journal reports. The recent policy is an attempt by Beijing to lower its dependence on foreign technology and limit the flow of sensitive details out of the nation.
Employees at some central government agencies have been ordered by their seniors through chat groups or conferences not to carry such devices into the office, but it’s not yet apparent how widespread these instructions have been, according to WSJ reports.
Beijing has prohibited government officials in some agencies from using Apple’s iPhones for a few years, but the recent order is an attempt to ensure that the regulation is strictly implemented. China has also instructed its agencies and state-owned enterprises to substitute foreign devices with domestic options that are supposed safe and controllable.
Reuters reported that tensions between China and the US have led the latter to perform with its backers to decline Beijing access to the equipment it requires to keep its chip industry competitive.
The Chinese government has banned the use of Tesla vehicles by state-owned firms and military personnel in 2021, due to circumstances that data collected by the automobiles could be a source of national security leaks, the WSJ reported.
Apple’s iPhones conquered the high-end smartphone market in China and are famous with both the government and private sectors in the nation. Beijing accounts for about 19 percent of the Cupertino-based tech giant’s income.
The report added that China needs some foreign firms to keep locally collected data. Apple and Tesla have both constructed data centers in China, but such actions may not be sufficient to reduce China’s national security concerns.
