American tech giant Apple has been helping the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suppress the uprising in China by blocking communications between anti-lockdown protesters on iPhones.
Apple, one of the key players in Big Tech censorship, restricted the use of AirDrop in China.
The move severely harmed the organizational efforts of demonstrators who are protesting against the CCP’s brutal lockdowns.
As Slay News has been documenting, the Communist regime is enforcing some of the strictest lockdown measures ever seen as COVID-19 cases skyrocket across the country.
As part of the CCP’s “Zero Covid” policy, millions of people have been locked up in their homes or workplaces as dozens of cities across the country are forced back into lockdown.
The measures have seen employees locked inside Foxconn Zhengzhou, the world’s largest iPhone factory.
With workers separated from their families and blocked from leaving, protesters have been trying to break out of locked-down buildings.
However, those employees who are able to successfully leave are immediately fired and replaced.
The news of Apple’s help in silencing the protesters comes as the tech giant is threatening to withdraw Elon Musk’s Twitter from its App Store.
The move would block all iPhone and iPad users from downloading the Twitter app onto their devices.
Musk revealed that Apple is threatening to pull the app in a Monday Twitter tirade.
After blasting Apple and its CEO Tim Cook, Musk posted one of his popular polls to ask Twitter users if “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers.”
Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
In another follow-up post, Musk added that “Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why.”
Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
In a separate thread, a Twitter user said: “During Covid, Apple demanded our apps filter some search terms from being returned.
“If we did not filter the terms, our apps would not be allowed in the store.
“Apple may make good products, but they have been opposed to free speech for some time.”
Musk asked his followers: “Who else has Apple censored?”
Who else has Apple censored? https://t.co/lZculFIkAX
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Now it has emerged that Apple is also censoring the uprising in China.
Over the past week, multiple major cities across China have seen massive protests against lockdowns.
The normally compliant Chinese population has been exploding into a major uprising against the Communist government’s “zero Covid” policy.
Much of the unrest blew up in response to an incident in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi, where at least 10 people, some say up to 40, were killed during an apartment fire.
The fire turned to deadly chaos because lockdown rules stopped residents from fleeing the burning building.
Most of the city’s residents have been prevented from leaving their homes for over 100 days as a result of the draconian rules, which are still in place nearly three years after the pandemic began.
With Beijing now trying to contain what some are calling the most serious mass uprising since Tiananmen Square, Apple is apparently helping them to crush dissent.
Earlier this month, Apple restricted the use of its AirDrop feature in China, which protesters had been using to evade censorship.
AirDrop allows local connections between devices, without connecting to the Internet, meaning it cannot be monitored or censored by Chinese authorities.
However, Apple launched an update to the app in China that restricted usage to just 10 minutes.
The move makes it harder for protesters to communicate with other activists.
It also prevents activists from sending messages to nearby bystanders and tourists.
AirDrop was also being used by protesters in Hong Kong, who were brutally suppressed by the CCP during months of unrest in 2019.
The smartphone company chose to roll out the new “feature” in China at the exact same time the country experienced its biggest demonstrations in decades.
Many would argue that the move is more than just a coincidence.
