That ship has sailed.

iCloud in China is controlled de facto by the CCP.

Apple is taking something from its users in the West which its users in China never had.

I walk by an iPhone billboard fairly frequently, all it says is "Privacy".

I can come to only one conclusion as to why Apple is doing this, and it isn't because they're acting on their own free will in the interest of their business and users.

Fair point. The sad part is that all the bad things need to happen for the populace to revolt.

Most will forget about this intrusion and move on with their lives. And yet, i cant help but shed a tear for the liberity we all, in the good countries, are losing.

bit by bit. rung by rung.

but at least the phones keep getting better…

I'm optimistic, but only because things are getting so bad, so quickly, that I expect catastrophic change before the decade is out.

FYI, all Chinese phones have a mandatory app installed for years, which scans everything on device for these "problems" (as well as CSAM).

Not an unreasonable request, and don't be surprised if it affects phones outside of China too. https://www.wired.com/story/apple-china-censorship-bug-iphon...