Apple (AAPL.O) increased its criticism of EU draught rules that would force it to allow consumers to install software from sources other than its App Store, citing cybercriminals and viruses as threats.
Apple (AAPL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O), Facebook (FB.O), and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) unit Google have all been vocal critics of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s proposed rules, which were announced last year in an attempt to rein in Apple, Amazon (AMZN.O), Facebook (FB.O), and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) unit Google.
Apple issued a study on the concerns of so-called side-loading on Wednesday, building on CEO Tim Cook’s statements in June about the risks to iPhone privacy and security. It warned that harmful programes will migrate to third-party shops and infect consumer devices, and that customers would have less control over the apps they downloaded.
According to the survey, Kaspersky Lab, a cybersecurity services provider, Android mobile devices were subjected to roughly six million attacks every month.
Apple also took a shot at digital advertisers, whom it is at odds with over its new privacy rules, which prevent them from tracking iPhone users. “Large companies that rely on digital advertising allege that they have lost revenue due to these privacy features, and may therefore have an incentive to distribute their apps via sideloading specifically to bypass these protections,” the report said.
Vestager’s rules changes must be approved by EU legislators and EU countries before becoming law, which is expected to happen in 2023.
