A Chinese government-backed group has devised a way to identify users who send messages through Apple's popular Airdrop wireless file-sharing feature. This is part of a broader effort to combat spam.
A Beijing-based research institute has developed technology that can decrypt historical iPhones to determine how many senders posted content via Airdrop, the Justice Department said in an online article.
The office said police used a common file transfer tool to identify the person who posted videos containing inappropriate comments on the subway, and police also identified several other suspects involved.
The office added that this approach improves the efficiency of case resolution, improves accuracy, and prevents the spread of inappropriate observations and potential negative impacts.
The ad draws attention once again to the capabilities of iPhones, which activists around the world use to spread their messages.
Airdrops have become the main tool for Chinese protesters to defend democracy and were also used by demonstrators during the 2019 Hong Kong protests to spread pro-democracy slogans, share information about events and avoid detection by police.
In 2022, protesters in Beijing used it to spread democratic messages in subway stations.
The Justice Department praised the new approach as a technological breakthrough because it could complement procedures to remove information that China believes is false.
It also increases uncertainty about Apple's operations in countries with strict content restrictions.
AirDrop lets you quickly share files like photos, documents, or videos between Apple devices.
Since 2022, the company has restricted the use of this feature on iPhones in China after protesters used it to send photos to device owners.
Airdrops allow protesters to bypass traditional government interventions because they rely on wireless communication between phone signals rather than the Internet.
This makes it difficult for government agencies to determine who is using airdrops.
Apple is under increasing pressure after some government-backed institutions banned the use of foreign devices in the workplace.