China claims it can now bypass AirDrop encryption and identify senders

Credit: Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

• A Chinese state-backed institution in Beijing claims it has cracked Apple AirDrop’s encryption.
• The organization says the technique it created allows them to identify the phone numbers and emails of senders who share AirDrop content.
• The discovery is part of an effort to eliminate undesirable content.

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Apple’s AirDrop is a popular iOS feature that allows Apple device owners to quickly share things like documents, images, and more. All a user has to do is be close to another device and have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and AirDrop enabled to share the file securely through end-to-end encryption. However, China is saying that it has found a way to bypass that encryption to identify users.

According to a report from Bloomberg, a Chinese state-backed organization in Beijing says it has discovered a way to identify AirDrop users who send messages. The technique reportedly allows the institution to see the phone numbers and email addresses of these senders.

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