Apple has used servers belonging to China Mobile to store personal user data, marking the first instance in which the US firm has stored iCloud information in the country.
A statement from Apple read: “We have added China Telecom to our list of data centre providers to increase bandwidth and improve performance for our customers in mainland china. All data stored with our providers is encrypted. China Telecom does not have access to the content.”
The firm’s decision to store personal user data in China is at odds with some of its rivals - including Google, which refuses to do so due to privacy and censorship concerns. The statement notes that “Apple takes user security and privacy very seriously.”
In addition, the statement cites practical reasons for storing user data on Chinese servers. Performance will be improved by storing data closer to Apple’s local user base in China.
