Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:APPL) China iPhone 6 Approval Gives Way To Higher Than U.S. Smartphone Sales
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) provided the iPhone 6 a license for network access after speculation that the regulatory process might take too long.
China's regulator found that there were security flaws in Apple's iOS software that could undermine user data security. The regulatory board has asked Apple to make the required changes to the iOS to take care of suspected flaws in the software.
The warning comes against China's backdrop of more heavy duty hackers using the latest tools to hack personal data. The recent 'Fappening ' hacks from the 4Chan image sharing site is a good point for the argument.
Early in the year, "Apple's iPhone came under fire from the country's state-controlled CCTV in a segment that alleged the iOS 7's "Frequent Locations" feature could be used to secretly track user's locations. Apple later dismissed the claims, and said that the company has no access to phones using the Frequent Locations feature,'computerworlduk.com reported.
While China has delivered on network access licenses to four Apple iphones, the Cupertino, Cal.-tech giant is betting that a later release of the big iPhone 6 Plus will also be approved for China.
MIIT said in its posting, "While inspecting the phones, the Chinese regulator also looked for suspected security flaws in iOS software that media outlets have reported on. These suspected flaws involved "three background services" that can be exploited to retrieve users' private information"
The regulating system in China is paying "great attention" to protecting user's privacy on smartphones. "If it's discovered that any related businesses are involved in violating user's privacy, they will be investigated and dealt with according to the law," the regulator said.
In May, China threatened to block companies from selling IT products in the country, if they failed to pass a new "cybersecurity vetting system" to check for secret surveillance activities.
