14 DAY TRIAL // U.S. Attorney General William Barr has publicly criticized American tech giants, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft, for their close relationship with the Chinese government, even suggesting that the Cupertino-based iPhone maker has provided Beijing with access to its devices.
Barr, who blasted U.S. tech companies for the way they do business in China, held a speech at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Michigan.
“Corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple have shown themselves all too willing to collaborate with the (Chinese Communist Party),” Barr was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“The Chinese Communist Party thinks in terms of decades and centuries, while we tend to focus on the next quarterly earnings report,” Barr continued. “America’s big tech companies have also allowed themselves to become pawns of Chinese influence.”
Barr suggests Apple provides China with access to iPhones
One of the most serious allegations released by Barr concerns Apple, as the AG suggested that the iPhone maker somehow provides the Chinese government with access to its devices.
“[iPhones] wouldn’t be sold (in China) if they were impervious to penetration by Chinese authorities,” he said.
Apple has repeatedly refused to build a backdoor to provide the United States authorities with access to its devices, claiming such an approach would compromise the security of all users. The FBI has previously requested Apple to unlock devices used by terrorists and criminals, but the company refused every time, forcing the investigators to turn to third-party hacking solutions.
Barr explains that tech giants should stand together against the pressure put by the Chinese government.
“If they stand together, they will provide a worthy example for other American companies in resisting the Chinese Communist Party’s corrupt and dictatorial rule,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, none of the tech giants named in Barr’s latest accusations commented on the matter.