Apple Calls Out EU for Contradictory App Store Rules Under DSA and DMA

Apple precocious sent a missive to the European Commission (EC), criticizing caller inquiries into whether the App Store complies with the Digital Services Act (DSA) amid the abstracted Digital Markets Act requirements that Apple has been required to enactment successful place.


The Commission asked Apple for information connected however it locates fraudulent content, what it does to trim the hazard of fiscal scams successful apps, and however it verifies the individuality of businesses. It separately requested details connected the policies Apple has successful spot to support minors. Both requests were portion of an enquiry into whether companies are complying with Digital Services Act requirements.

Apple's response, penned by Apple VP of Legal Kyle Andeer, answers each of the EC's questions and includes the applicable accusation to fulfill the request, but besides points retired the hypocrisy of questioning ‌App Store‌ user protections portion requiring Apple to enactment sideloading functionality that isn't taxable to those protections.

Andeer says that it is "difficult to square" the DSA investigations with the EC's "aggressive mentation and exertion of the Digital Markets Act," and that the probe into Apple's ‌App Store‌ safeguards "defies each logic" successful airy of the DMA requirements. He besides argues that the European Commission needs to enforce the DSA and DMA arsenic a whole, alternatively than arsenic abstracted policies.It does not marque consciousness for the Commission to property Apple to support users, including minors, from fraud wrong the App Store portion astatine the aforesaid clip requiring Apple to make functionalities similar link-outs and web views that summation the hazard of fraud without indispensable safeguards.

The Commission cannot some prohibit Apple from taking the steps it has recovered indispensable successful mitigating the hazard of scams and fraud connected the App Store portion simultaneously scrutinizing Apple for not providing adjacent much measures to mitigate these risks connected the App Store. It does not marque consciousness for 1 EU instrumentality to promote Apple to mitigate arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable the hazard of exposing consumers to fraud oregon minors to perchance harmful apps done the App Store, lone for different EU instrumentality to forestall Apple from utilizing those aforesaid measures to mitigate the aforesaid benignant of risks conscionable due to the fact that they beryllium extracurricular of the App Store. This paradoxical concern creates a regulatory operation that endorses leaving iOS and iPadOS users astatine hazard if they take not to usage the App Store, erstwhile developers take to usage link-outs, oregon erstwhile users opt to usage third-party products to interoperate with iOS oregon iPadOS. [...]

If the Commission does not consistently prioritise protecting consumers from online harms similar fraud, oregon minors from online harms similar pornography oregon different unsafe apps, successful each enforcement contexts, including the DMA, nor usage the tools it has astatine its disposal to resoluteness these cardinal frictions, the objectives of the DSA volition beryllium underachieved, nary substance however capable Apple's measures are to comply with this circumstantial regulation.For context, the Digital Services Act requires precise ample online platforms similar Apple to connection extortion against disinformation oregon predetermination manipulation, cyber unit against women, and harms to minors online. It besides has provisions to antagonistic fraud and mitigate dissemination of amerciable content, among different requirements.

The abstracted Digital Markets Act requires Apple to enactment alternate app marketplaces and adhere to interoperability rules that Apple has continually argued weaken privateness and security. Andeer says that the Digital Markets Act "exposes users to fraud and scams" connected third-party platforms, and the EC has been warned that the DMA enforcement is "reckless and adjacent dangerous."

Apple's App Review squad removed 37,000 apps for fraudulent enactment successful 2024, rejected 115,000 apps for unsafe experiences, and rejected 320,000 app submissions that copied different apps, were recovered to beryllium spam, oregon misled users successful immoderate way. Further, 139,000 developer enrollments were rejected, and 146,000 developer accounts were terminated owed to fraud concerns.
This article, "Apple Calls Out EU for Contradictory App Store Rules Under DSA and DMA" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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