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Apple continues its campaign against the “Open App Markets Act” threatening in the USA. In a letter to US senators, the group warned of negative consequences if bill S.2710 were to be waved through unchanged. Apple argues that forcing the iPhone to be open to free app installation would harm the privacy and security of the platform, create legal uncertainty and result in fewer choices for consumers, the financial news agency said Bloomberg reported.
“Sideloading opens Pandora’s box”
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is scheduled to decide on the Open Markets Act introduced last summer on Thursday. The “American Innovation and Choice Act”, which Apple and other IT companies also spoke out against, had previously been approved by the committee.
Sideloading allows “bad actors” to bypass Apple’s privacy and security features, quoted Bloomberg from Apple’s letter – that would lead to a flood of malware, data theft and fraud on the platform. Apple boss Tim Cook had already emphasized last fall that preventing sideloading was a top priority for Apple.
Efforts are not only being made in the USA to force the opening of the iPhone, there is also a threat of the Digital Market Act (DMA) in Europe. Sideloading is “cyber criminals’ best friend” and will open Pandora’s box, Apple’s software boss warned in November. With regard to the DMA, the US government has recently expressed concern that it is only targeting large US companies.
Lots of rules planned for big app stores
As a further argument, Apple now put forward sideloading, which would make it easier for “major social media platforms” to circumvent Apple’s “consumer protection measures”. What is apparently meant is a circumvention of Apple’s tracking transparency initiative.
In addition to the rules on interoperability, which stipulate third-party app stores and a direct installation option for apps, the draft law also provides S.2710 also provide specific rules for app store operators. This also includes a ban on prescribing your own payment interface for in-app purchases, as Apple and Google are currently doing. Apple generated an estimated $20 billion last year from commissions on in-app purchases in third-party apps.
(lbe)
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