苹果在华可能遭遇"谷歌时刻"

When Google decided it would stop complying with Chinese censorship, it cited a cyber attack originating in that country. “What at first appeared to be solely a security incident . . . was something quite different,” Google wrote. Five years later, most Googleservices remain blocked in China.

当谷歌(Google)决定不再配合中国审查制度时，该公司提到源自中国的一起网络攻击。“起初看似单纯的安全事件……到头来却是相当不同的情况，”谷歌写道。5年后，多数谷歌服务仍受到中国屏蔽。

Apple experienced a significant cyber attack in China this week – bad timing, as the iPhone 6 just went on sale there. Apple has disclosed few details. The attack was serious enough that Tim Cook met a vice premier on Wednesday to discuss “protecting user information”, as the state news agency puts it. (He even wore a tie for the occasion.) It’s the latest of many setbacks, including state media campaigns against Apple and a delay in the iPhone 6 release. China is crucial for Apple: it accounted for more than a third of revenue growth in the last fiscal year. Without China, sales growth would have been below five per cent in five of the last six quarters.

苹果(Apple)最近在中国遭遇重大网络攻击——时机很糟糕，因为iPhone 6恰好在中国发售。苹果披露的细节很少。这次攻击如此严重，以至于苹果CEO蒂姆•库克(Tim Cook)上周三会晤了中国副总理马凯（那天库克甚至戴上了一条领带）。官方通讯社称，双方讨论了“保护用户信息安全”问题。这是众多挫折（包括官方媒体协同声讨苹果，以及iPhone 6发售延迟）中的最新挫折。中国对苹果至关重要：在上一财年的营收增长中，中国市场的贡献超过三分之一。若没有中国，过去六个季度中有五个季度的销售增长将不到5%。

Most companies blocked in China are in the information-sharing business (Twitter, Facebook). Apple’s position may appear simpler because it makes hardware. A seller of, say, fibre optic cable to China would not be accused of abetting violations of privacy, even if the calls and emails passing through that cable were monitored.

在中国被屏蔽的多数企业从事信息共享业务（如Twitter和Facebook）。苹果的情况也许看上去更简单，因为它主要做的是硬件。举例而言，向中国销售光缆的卖家不会被指控助长侵犯隐私行为，即便通过光缆传输的通话和电子邮件受到监听。

Apple is also a software company, however. Its privacy policies govern everything stored on the iCloud, such as users’ photos, contacts and text messages. Changes to encryption settings in Apple’s operating system means police can no longer access data stored in it, which will displease authorities in China just as it has in the US. Apple recently started storing some iCloud data on servers located in China. The data are encrypted, but also subject to Chinese law. Google concluded that operating a search business in China was incompatible with its principles. This week’s attacks show that Apple cannot avoid making its own hard choices about China.

不过，苹果也是一家软件公司。它的隐私政策适用于存储在iCloud云服务中的所有内容，如用户的照片、通讯录和短信。苹果操作系统的加密设置变化意味着，警方将不再能够访问存储在苹果iCloud上的数据，这使中国和美国的执法部门都感到不快。最近，苹果开始将一部分iCloud数据存储于中国境内的服务器。这些数据是加密的，但也受到中国法律的管辖。谷歌得出结论，在中国运营搜索业务与该公司的原则不相容。最近的攻击表明，苹果也无法避免作出有关中国的艰难抉择。