[ad_1]
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) targets so-called “gatekeepers” and aims to make it easier for consumers to switch between platform-specific features such as browsers, media players, messaging apps and app stores. I am. Despite being a direct target of this law, Apple responded to the law before it went into effect and made changes to bring iOS, Safari, and the App Store into compliance.
This is the company’s second major capitulation to EU law. Last year, after bucking the rules to do away with the Lightning connector in favor of USB-C, Apple finally made the switch with the iPhone 15. They may have done so reluctantly, but they did so in a way that benefited the world and the platform as a whole. portfolio. This includes standardizing connectors across major computing platforms, gaining access to a wider range of peripherals, and enabling faster data transfer speeds. Lightning debuted over a decade ago with his iPhone 5, so this bill likely only slightly accelerated the work Apple had planned.
Apple lost containment
But while Apple may have viewed the USB-C switch as controversial, its recent press release leaves no doubt that it’s not happy with the changes it made to be DMA compliant. Chief among them is the obvious concern about privacy and security, which is one of Apple’s key messaging points for Android. Apple’s press release cites “risk” 11 times in the context of privacy and security, mentioning what the company has done to reduce risks and what it can’t do to eliminate them.
Yes, the risk can increase as more parties are involved in providing alternative browsers and alternative app stores. By complying with DMA, Apple loses some control over containing risk. The other party’s tolerance may not match the level of his Apple, the ultimate custodian of the iPhone experience. The key question is: how much is the increase in risk and what benefits can be derived from it? In addition to Apple’s mitigation efforts, app stores are likely to be powered by companies like Microsoft and Epic Games, which millions of customers already trust with their data.
What happens next?
Perhaps one day the US will implement a law comparable to the DMA, and Apple will have to expand on the kinds of changes it has made in the US. But by limiting the changes to Europe, Apple has set up a global experiment in which the U.S. and other countries will serve as controls to test the company’s objections about the dangers of DMA.
The coming years will determine whether Apple’s risk warnings will prophetically coincide with the increasing incidence and severity of security and privacy breaches on its platforms. But iOS is definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to such compromises, especially given that Google will likely have to make Android more open in response to similar laws (or lawsuits). Apple may consider such a weakening to be a loss for customers, but it will still maintain a competitive advantage.
[ad_2]
Source link
