Two years ago, Apple effectively censored a core iPhone communication feature. The change was reportedly initially made at the request of the Chinese government. However, Apple quickly implemented the change to all iPhones globally a few months later.
Apple essentially endorsed China’s censorship demands by voluntarily enforcing the limit on all iPhone users, including the United States and every other democratic nation. Despite being controversial at the time, Apple’s decision has not faceted sustained public scrutiny. Instead, user control and a decentralized communication method were lost under the guise of safety
AirDrop was widely reported to be a useful tool for distributing information among protesters who pushed back against the authoritarian regime. A single iPhone could prompt a file share to dozens of nearby iPhones with AirDrop receiving from anyone enabled — something internet censorship couldn’t stop.