Why is data residency law cool and progressive when the EU does it and Big Tech complies, but Bad and Dystopian when China does the same? Tim Cook has said on the record that iCloud is the same regardless of data center.
Because the reasons for data sovereignty as legislated by the EU and countries within it, and China, are drastically different. Which one is the authoritarian regime which jails dissidents and which one has regulations giving consumers rights over their data? I'm fairly certain the motives for data sovereignty are wildly different.
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there are anti-encryption legislative proposals in the EU which are as ill-informed and scary as anything I’ve heard of in Mainland China. It’s very unclear to me if motives matter in this case.
China has a reputation for hunting down religious minorities and political dissidents, Europe is known for a more moderate take on those matters. I think there's cause for concern when China demands domestic ownership of iCloud info.
Would it surprise you to learn that France also bans female genital mutilation, another religious practice enforced on people who typically have no say in the matter? These bans apply to people of any religion and of no religion.
Let's not pretend this is the same thing as kidnapping you and taking you to a reeducation camp because of your religion, leaving your kids alone and confused.
You seem to have missed my point entirely then. I'm in full support of Apple holding themselves accountable for the data they hold, but they don't. As a result, we rely on "broader political vibes" to read between the lines.
I’m not sure what you mean by “holding themselves accountable for the data they hold”, but you began by implying data residency was compromising security at the behest of a government, but it does not itself do anything of that sort. Your technical claim is outright false.