Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Co (GCBD), the new operator of Apple's iCloud service on the Chinese mainland, told the Global Times on Thursday that it will obey the rules and regulations of the country and safeguard the security of users' data.
Data management company GCBD, based in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, will start to operate an iCloud service on the mainland as of February 28, according to a statement Apple released on its official website on Wednesday.
"We've fully communicated with Apple about this cooperation. While Apple provides technical support, GCBD is responsible for the management," GCBD said in a note sent to the Global Times. "The two sides will strictly follow the rules and regulations, and protect users' privacy and data security," the company noted.
GCBD was registered with 235 million yuan ($36.1 million) and approved by the provincial government of Guizhou in November 2014, according to its website. It is supervised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Guizhou.
The local government has been pushing forward the big data industry in the region in recent years. In May 2015, the Global Big Data Exchange, the first of its kind in China, was established in Guizhou Province.
The move is the result of a cooperation agreement signed in July 2017, when Apple announced that it would set up its first data center in China, in partnership with GCBD, an enterprise owned by Guizhou's provincial government.
U.S. media outlets have reported rising concerns among U.S. iCloud users that their data might be stored in the facility and could be exposed to Chinese companies and governments.
In an apparent move to ease earlier concerns over data being stored in China, Apple has made it clear that the arrangement will only affect Chinese users.
