Apple globally censoring this iPhone communication feature deserves renewed scrutiny

Two years ago, Apple effectively censored a core iPhone communication feature. The change was reportedly initially made at the request of the Chinese government. However, Apple quickly implemented the change to all iPhones globally a few months later. Apple essentially endorsed China’s censorship demands by voluntarily enforcing the limit on all iPhone users, including the United States and every other democratic nation. Despite being controversial at the time, Apple’s decision has not faceted sustained public scrutiny. Instead, user control and a decentralized communication method were lost under the guise of safety. The feature is called AirDrop. It allows iPhones to wirelessly send files, photos, links, and more to other nearby iPhones. AirDrop arrived on the iPhone in September 2013 as part of iOS 7. Nearly a decade later, Apple made a small change that had a huge impact on how AirDrop could be used. In November 2022, Apple tweaked how AirDrop worked in China through iOS 16.1.1, ... Read full article.