Apple Privacy Chief: North Dakota Bill 'Threatens to Destroy the iPhone as You Know It'

[ksnell]

You want your own App Store, you can write your own OS.

Yes, yes, I have heard this one before, but why do we accept it on our phones but not on our computers?

Write your own OS, create your own phone, create your own social network, create your own web hosting service, create your own data center, create your own power company, create your own internet.

Where does it end? Create your own....country?

 

[QCassidy352]

How do they think this can be done at the state level?

Interstate commerce remains the realm of the federal Government.

Exactly. It’s easy to imagine different states taking different approaches to tech company regulation and Apple (or any tech company) ending up in a position where it cannot comply with the laws of all states at once.

 

[ArPe]

This shouldn’t be decided by corrupt politicians who stand to benefit from campaign donations and profit from the massive amount of ransomware that will attack phones.

Apple and Google need to do a massive global campaign to alert the public about the dangers and then show the true face of those who wish to erode privacy and security.

The campaign has to be relentless and non stop.

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

I think this is a good idea. If the App Store is all that, then they have nothing to worry about.

Apple has recently banned apps from the App Store because the developers refused to play by their rules or they expressed opinions with which Apple Corporate disagrees. This would provide an opportunity for some other aggregator service to move into this underserved community and make some money at the same time.

Apple should embrace diversity of apps.

 

[Westwood_1]

The consumers aren't asking for this but someone is driving it hard.
I found myself, only yesterday after cleaning a trojan from a Mac, explaining to its owner why the App Store is essential.
You need a gateway to the software you install on your device that gives you confidence that what you are installing doesn't come with more than what you expect. Either malware or spyware that wants to profile you and sell your data.
I, as an iPhone user, don't want my iPhone cracked open too all.
If Apple is forced to do this I hope they implement it as an option to the user when they setup their new device.
Just how many will say "no thanks" I predict to be the same as how many have also choosen "no" to "track me".
That's democracy.

Bad example. Most of the software that makes my Mac what it is is can't be found on the App Store. Spotify, VLC, any number of popular web browsers, industry-standard word processors and office applications, professional media editing applications, etc. all need to be accessed, downloaded, and installed from other sources. The Mac App Store is terrible, but the Mac experience is great.

On the other hand, people have complained for years about the walled garden that iOS creates. For every story about a bad Mac download, there are two about apps from the App Store (iOS or Mac) being arbitrarily removed (Amphetamine, apps that compete with features Apple is about to release, social media apps, etc.). While an App Store can be great, I also appreciate the ability to install applications that I've personally vetted and that I trust.

 

[ArPe]

How does OTHER people having the option to sideload apps effect you in any way? Has the fact that iPhones can be Jailbroken ever affected your experience at all?

I might have bought an Android phone but there are so many other aspects of iOS to prefer...

When people side load a dodgy app on their phone that steals their money, contacts and loads a ransomware, where do you think these customers will go for help?

First place they go to the Apple Store and blame Apple. Because that is how idiot people are. We see on this forum people with Hackintosh or badly configured software and they blame Apple for their stupidity.

 

[ksnell]

How do they think this can be done at the state level?

Interstate commerce remains the realm of the federal Government.

My assumption is the same way it works with California but correct me if I am wrong. Of course, I suppose they could just sell their products in 49 states to remain in compliance if it passes?

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

A lot of crying here. There is no reason that alternative app stores would necessarily impact people who choose not to install them. Apple could maintain the same level of security as they already have, and allow alternative app stores. In fact, Apple could even require alternative app stores follow basic guidelines to ensure that those app stores were also equally secure. Apple would still be developing the APIs and the OS. I don't see why people go so all in on defending a corporation. Some people here treat this like a religion.

 

[The_Gream]

deleted

 

[gotluck]

If we could get a proper sideload, that doesn't have to be resigned every 7 days with a max of 3 apps like it does now, I would never think about switching to android again.

 

[sw1tcher]

Specifically, the bill would prevent Apple from requiring a developer to use a digital application distribution platform as the exclusive mode of distributing a digital product, and it would keep the company from requiring developers to use in-app purchases as the exclusive mode of accepting payment from a user. There's also wording preventing Apple from retaliating against developers who choose alternate distribution and payment methods.

Apple Chief Privacy Engineer Erik Neuenschwander spoke out against the bill, saying that it "threatens to destroy the iPhone as you know it" by requiring changes that would "undermine the privacy, security, safety, and performance" of the iPhone.

Translation: the Mac offers no privacy, security, safety, or performance since developers can distribute their apps outside of Apple's app store and accept payments outside of it too.

Neuenschwander said that Apple "works hard" to keep bad apps from the App Store, and North Dakota's bill would "require us to let them in."

Orly?

Scam iOS Apps Still Raking in Millions in Revenue on App Store

Apple reviews every app that is made available for its customers to download, something that would not happen with a third-party app store option

So Apple letting the scam iOS apps onto its app store wasn't an accident?

That 30 percent cut...

 

[Naraxus]

Good. Hopefully this bill (and many more like it) become law.

I, not Apple own my phone.

I, not Apple, should be able to decide what I put on my phone.

I, not Apple, should be able to choose what payment method I want to use.

It doesn't look like this bill has the votes sadly to pass but it's the tip of the iceberg. The day is coming when the App Store monopoly is going away and that day can't come soon enough.

 

[jmgregory1]

I say let the fine folks in ND go back to buying their apps at Woolworths and Ben Franklin stores - you know the way god intended.

 

[calikid78]

I’m not sure if you’re being sarcastic. So, to be clear, sure, I’ll promise!

I just want the option, on my own iPhone that I bought and paid for. Other people will decide to stick with the App Store for everything, and that’s great for them.

You bought and paid for the iPhone, yes. But you bought it because it was the best and the most stable and secure. Why should Apple have to cater to people who want to do something else with their intellectual property? If you don't like the platform rules Apple lays out, then don't be on it! They are not forcing these devs to make apps for iOS. They do it because it is lucrative. But, they want MORE. If Apple is forced to open it's iPhone to 3rd party platforms, I hope (they won't) that they would say, "screw you, we are no longer making iPhones". Then what would everyone say?

 

[synergize]

Hey North Dakota: Wrong fight, fight for the pipeline instead.

 

[Jemani]

I understand the need for secure app stores but shouldn’t we be able to install software as we please ? And I’m not speaking for pirated apps — that’s a whole other discussion.

What is stopping you now? No one is forcing you to install any app, in fact, you aren’t even forced to buy an iPhone. You chose it. It’s like going to Tesla and demanding they provide a hybrid engine.

 

[Naraxus]

Is that written into the US Constitution somewhere and I missed it? People should be free to enter into contracts, and not have the terms of those contracts dictated to them by the government.

Boy talk about a red herring if there ever was one. Where did he ever say it was a right?

 

[The Mad Kiwi]

I understand the need for secure app stores but shouldn’t we be able to install software as we please ? And I’m not speaking for pirated apps — that’s a whole other discussion.

If you want this option, there are other phones that allow you to install anything. Consumers are aware that all software on the iPhone is vetted by Apple, and other software from other sources can't be installed, this is one of the key features of Apples Phones.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

This argument is about as flat as their topography. Fools.

 

[ouimetnick]

Wouldn’t the solution be to just not sell iPhone/iPad to customers living in North Dakota directly? If a resident of ND wants an iOS device, they’d have to travel to another state to purchase said device..

 

[MallardDuck]

So just block sales of apps and iphones in ND. It's not exactly a big market

 

[garylapointe]

On the upside, Apple can reject any app they want and say "put it in one of the other stores".

 

[warp9]

Maybe 3rd party app stores should be allowed but this will be the reality for them:

- Uncurated, because no one will do all that work for free.

- Unknown hosting servers. They certainly won't be free, unless you're ok with deep data mining and ads everywhere.

- Mostly big name apps because indies can't afford the hassle of administering sales. Most small publishers on Android don't file taxes and just hope they don't get caught. Or the exact opposite because all the big names will make their own app stores and gleefully track every piece of information about you across all vectors.

- If you pay for an app and get scammed, who's responsible? Who did you give your credit card number to and can you get a refund? Who will take the app down?

- There is a huge problem with copycats on the App Store, even with Apple actively chasing down the biggest offenders. On a 3rd party app store, anyone could take my app or game and republish it under their own name with no consequences. This was the norm on Android until Google used massive machine learning algorithms on the problem.

Even Epic is aware of how fraught with problems an open platform like Android can be, and they said so right here:
"So far, Epic has instigated action on 47 unauthorized “Fortnite for Android” websites, many of which appear to be run by the same bad actors. We continue to police the situation with a goal of taking them offline, or restricting access by leveraging Epic’s connection to a network of anti-fraud partners."

I've posted this before but I feel it needs to be said again. Apple is not Microsoft or Google. They created the entire thing, from end to end. They are not using their market power to shut down other smartphone makers and they have no obligation to share their private property with anyone.

 

[repoman016]

yeah as a premium customer i will flee to a trash store.
according to you I should not buy Porsche and Gucci anymore but cheap trash.

Not sure thats what they meant. If you could buy a porsche from the dealer for 100k, or the same exact vehicle from a third party dealer for 90k, which one would you do assuming everything was exactly the same? See Spotify battle for example.

 

[Xcarlittosx]

I bet epic games is behind this lolol