China wants Apple's source code, but Apple refuses to hand over the goods
Apple has revealed that Chinese authorities have asked for access to the company's source code in the last couple of years. The revelation was made by Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell as he tried to deflect accusations that have sprung up in the wake of the San Bernardino iPhone case.
The battle between Apple and the FBI rumbled on for a while as authorities asked the iPhone manufacturer to crack encryption or provide a backdoor into the phone at the center of the case. Apple refused to help the FBI, leading to accusations that the company was failing to help US authorities whilst assisting those abroad. Apple categorically denies handing over information to the Chinese authorities.
While the San Bernardino iPhone case has been the focus of the battle between the FBI and Apple, it is far from being the only phone that US law enforcement agencies want to gain access to. Tim Cook has been very vocal about his unwillingness to build any sort of backdoor into iOS, saying that it would set a dangerous precedent -- something the Justice Department dismissed and the FBI actually tried to turn back on Apple.
US authorities became increasingly keen to paint Apple in a bad light, suggesting not only that the company was aiding terrorism, but implying a lack of patriotism by inferring that Apple was happy to help other countries to gain access to data. Apple point blank denies having helped China by providing access to source code or other data.
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