Chinese organisation decrypts Apple AirDrop data to determine user identity

An organisation in China with governmental support says it has successfully identified Apple AirDrop users. The technique entails deciphering iPhone encryption to reveal senders' information, assisting law enforcement in numerous instances. Inappropriate content will be curbed and case-solving efficiency will be increased. The method exacerbates Apple's difficulties in a market where content is already scarce.

Police have identified multiple suspects via that method, the agency said, without disclosing if anyone was arrested. 

“It improves the efficiency and accuracy of case-solving and prevents the spread of inappropriate remarks as well as potential bad influences,” the bureau said. 

The declaration again drew attention to an iPhone feature that activists around the world have employed to spread their message. Requiring just a nearby bluetooth connection, it was widely used by protesters to share pro-democracy slogans during 2019 protests in Hong Kong.

Hailed by the article as a “technological breakthrough,” the method could supplement measures intended to eradicate information China deems unhealthy. It also adds more uncertainty to Apple’s operations in a country where it already grapples with severe constraints on content, including on Apple TV and Books. 

Apple has limited the AirDrop feature on Chinese iPhones since 2022, after the service was used by protesters to spread images to fellow device owners. The American electronics leader also faces mounting sales pressure, after a growing number of state-backed agencies banned the use of foreign devices at work.