Apple is setting up its first data center in China to comply with new cybersecurity regulations, CNBC reports. The company will build the data center in partnership with local data management firm Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Co as part of a $1 billion investment in Guizhou province, an Apple spokesman said in a statement.
“These regulations require cloud services be operated by Chinese companies so we’re partnering with GCBD to offer iCloud,” the statement read. Apple has faced increased pressure from China in the last year, with the government ordering the company to monitor mobile app users and pull The New York Times app from the county’s App Store.
China has also voiced concerns over live streaming apps, but an Apple representative claims all of Apple’s safeguards for privacy are still in place. “No backdoors will be created into any of our systems,” the company’s statement said.
