Beijing legal officials have revealed that a Chinese tech business has managed to break the encryption around Apple’s AirDrop wireless file sharing capability in order to identify users of the well-liked technology.
According to a statement released by the city’s Justice Bureau on Monday, Wangshendongjian Technology was able to assist authorities in finding those who had used the service to communicate “inappropriate information” to bystanders on the Beijing metro.
As part of an inquiry into a complaint, it had discovered the email addresses and cell phone numbers of the senders, according to the department. It said that a number of individuals had been identified, but it withheld information regarding the type of messages.
Certain commuters in Chinese cities have been receiving annoying messages on buses and subways, which have been attributed to AirDrop. In the latter few months of 2022, demonstrators allegedly used the well-known wireless file sharing feature to disseminate critical comments about the Chinese government under false pretenses.
According to the department, Wangshendongjian Technology “overcame the technical challenges of anonymous traceability through AirDrop,” so “preventing the further spread of inappropriate remarks and potential bad influence.”
Apple (AAPL) has been contacted by CNN for comment.
International media, such as Vice World News and The New York Times, has reported that some Chinese citizens disseminated flyers and pictures that echoed the catchphrases of an infrequent demonstration against Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2022 using AirDrop, a feature that is exclusive to Apple devices.
AirDrop is only useful for short-distance communication, but in 2019 anti-government protestors in Hong Kong were especially fond of it. They frequently utilized the feature to encourage subway riders to participate in protests by sending vibrant banners and artwork.
Shortly after the demonstration against Xi in November 2022, Apple started restricting AirDrop sharing for Chinese devices with non-contacts, making it more difficult for users to share files with strangers. Later, the feature was made available everywhere.