Apple's iPhone has been declared Public Enemy No. 1 in China, where state-run broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) dubbed the handset's location-tracking service a "national security concern."
During Friday's noon broadcast, the CCTV called out Apple's "frequent locations" feature in iOS 7, which allows apps and websites to pull data from cellular, Wi-Fi, and GPS networks to determine the user's approximate whereabouts.
Today's report, according to the Wall Street Journal, suggested that anyone with access to location information "could gain knowledge of the broader situation in China or 'even state secrets.'"
And, as the paper pointed out, while the CCTV's broadcasts do not necessarily reflect the views of China's top leaders, they have proved in the past to be influential.
Apple did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
This is not the first time the Chinese have been skeptical of U.S. technology. In May, China reportedly banned Windows 8 on government computers. And China has long been concerned about the country's "dependence" on Android.
The news comes shortly after the New York Times this week reported that Chinese hackers accessed U.S. government agency computers that included data about federal employees. According to the paper, the hackers were looking for information about those who had applied for top-level security clearances.
For more, see In China, Apple Goes Where Google Dare Not Tread, and watch PCMag Live in the video below, which discusses the hacking accusations.