Source: AFP
The European Union’s digital enforcement agency on Friday celebrated the “change” underway in the tech world after Apple bowed to a new EU law, announcing it would allow alternative app stores on the iPhone for the first time.
The major overhaul, which will take place in March when the European Union’s sweeping digital markets law comes into force, will curb the dominance of the App Store, which has been a mainstay of the iPhone since 2008.
“The DMA will open the gates of the Internet to competition so that digital markets are fair and open,” European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said when asked by AFP about Apple’s announcement. “Change is already happening.”
Breton said that from March 7, when the law comes into force, the European Commission will evaluate proposals from technology companies, “with third-party feedback”.
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“If the proposed solutions are not good enough, we will not hesitate to take strong action,” he warned.
He said the DMA means “more choice for consumers and more opportunities for smaller innovative technology companies”.
With the major changes Apple announced Thursday, users will for the first time be able to download software outside of the App Store and will be given new options for processing payments.
Other changes include giving users the option to download an alternative web browser when they first open Safari on the latest version of the iOS operating system. Until now, users had to go into settings to change the default browser.
In its announcement, Apple criticized DMA for creating “privacy and security risks” and said the company is installing safeguards to mitigate them.
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Apple said the new options for processing payments and downloading apps “open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illegal and harmful content.”
“Even with these safeguards, many risks remain,” it said.
“The changes we’re announcing today comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act in the European Union, while helping to protect EU users from the inevitable increased privacy and security threats brought about by this regulation,” said Phil Schiller of Apple, who heads the App Store.
“They make drama”
The EU has beefed up its legal arsenal to rein in Big Tech, with tougher rules to protect European users online and boost competition in an industry dominated by US giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Companies found in breach of the Digital Markets Act face fines that could be up to 20 percent of their global turnover, or even winding-up orders in serious cases.
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Meta and China’s TikTok have launched legal challenges against the law.
Apple said it will provide EU users with “guidance” in March to help them “navigate the complexities brought about by the DMA changes — including a less intuitive user experience.”
A senior European official noted that Apple had complained in a similar fashion — and ultimately complied with EU rules that force phone makers to adopt a universal, USB-C charging cable.
“It’s the same story with the common charger. They make drama but eventually they comply,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“If they are concerned about security, it means they have not done the job properly and the commission can go after them because downgrading product and service features like security will not go hand in hand with the DMA obligation,” the official added.
Source: AFP