Could cut down on piracy, hacked bank accounts

Apple has opened up the Chinese App Store to payments using Chinese bank cards based on the yuan, a support document shows. The store previously only allowed payments with credit cards supporting US dollars. Using bank cards, Chinese can add money to an iTunes account in preset amounts, an option not available in countries like the US; in China, though, such prepayments are commonplace.

The change is believed to be an attempt to deter piracy, as well as the use of so-called "black cards," which involve temporary iTunes accounts associated with hacked credit cards. Earlier this year, popular commerce site Taobao is said to have become frustrated enough with black card traffic that it simply blocked searches for "iTunes" or "app store."

The new policy may well have ramifications for the US. American credit cards and/or iTunes accounts are regular targets for Chinese hackers. Although Apple has tried to shore up iTunes' defenses, incidents continue to occur. The safest way to pay for content on iTunes is typically to rely on gift cards.

by MacNN Staff