EU Competition Chief Tells Apple Not to Use Privacy as a Shield Against Competition

[sw1tcher]

What are her qualifications? Is she a software engineer? How is her opinion anything other than an uniformed, unqualified opinion?

If the required qualification is to be a software engineer, then that disqualifies Tim Cook when he said that sideloading is "not in the best interests of the user" and would "destroy the security of the iPhone."

Tim Cook: Sideloading is a disaster and proposed App Store reforms would harm user privacy and security

Apple CEO stays on message during interview while Epic case rumbles along

www.theregister.com

 

[ouimetnick]

If that was the case Apple wouldn't have that much of Cash flow. Privacy leads to making profits for Apple.

Coming straight from Tim Cook. Perhaps, Mr. Cook wrote this himself or at least provided an approval.

Apple is very seriously committed to protecting your data and we work hard to deliver the most secure hardware, software and services available. We believe our customers have a right to understand how their personal data is managed and protected.

I think we are on the same page. By selling “privacy” they increase their profits.

 

[jz0309]

Giving iOS device users the option and personal choice to get their apps from outside of Apple's app store is limiting consumer choice?

The irony is lost on you.

the irony is, maybe 1% of the hundreds of millions of iPhone users WANT side loading, the rest is uneducated, does not want to be educated and just clicks on ads, banners ...

 

[Manzanito]

Profits is Apple’s real reason, privacy is secondary.

Spot on.

I very much prefer my iPhone to stay the way it is, and even if sideloading is allowed I won’t sideload apps.

Your phones will remain as secure and privates as they are if you wish so, don’t be afraid. It’s only apple’s revenue that’ll be affected, no reason to be concerned unless you’ve invested in apple.

 

[Yojimbo007]

Pure evidance that she has no clue what she is talking about! …
Facts are facts Vestager… reality is reality… u cant wish them away just because ‘u dont think so‘ !

 

[orbital~debris]

Find another excuse Chief! Perhaps, review this webpage/report that might help you not to go after our human rights, over this long 4th of July weekend

Wait, why is an European Union Chief going to have a ‘long 4th of July weekend’? 🤨🙂

I'm sure if Apple offers $$$ to this chief.. he won't be talking this nonsense.

How come a Chief is automatically a man? 😛 The EU Chief in question is a Danish woman called Margrethe Vestager.

 

[bobenhaus]

BOOM! HAHAH $pple cant hind behind privacy anymore.

 

[DeepIn2U]

"I think customers will not give up neither security nor privacy if they use another app store or if they sideload."

This is pretty laughable. Of course there is more risk to both security and privacy if you are side loading apps. That doesn't mean something bad will happen, but there is more risk - clearly.

it’s not just about increasing risk it’s about a significant increase in risk. You have to think Internet is not just one source as an alternative for apps it is as many sites that deal with uploading apps becomes a risk because there’s a developer that uploads it to a different source can be easily copied out of an HTML code tweaked and then re-uploaded again and there’s no checks or balances in regards to what was interjected into that at the end user finds out the hard way.

We can go as far back as Symbian OS (prior to Nokia Ovi) or hell even as far back to PalmOS (3:7), windows mobile 6.1 or 6.5; all of those operating systems had apps on the net. One can easily download, mess with it and upload. Pay more for top hit and boom all those that kick and scream I know what I’m doing will find out that jus5 “half the battle”

curious what phone Margrethe Vestager uses and how heavily?

 

[Mousse]

Except for the fact that every app will jump ship and list their app separately. Outside of the App Store. Purely from a price point perspective. Why wouldn’t they, do avoid the 15% (30%) commission?

Nike has a Nike store, yet they still more shoes other shoe stores. Only an idiot or those banned from the Appstore would not sell on the Appstore. A smaller piece of a big pie is usually bigger than a big piece of a small pie.

Which, if every app does that will leave the iOS App Store as barren as the Mac App Store is. Which also opens up for malware (even unintentionally bundled with apps) to be installed. Malware exists on the Mac. It doesn’t on the App Store.

Oh sweet child of summer. The Appstore isn't as impervious to malware as you believe. Bad actors will always find a way.

 

[jarman92]

Is this from experience or because Apple said so?

As someone who has years of experience in sideloading and never had any issues. I will say, the potential is there. Just like the potential for scam app to appear in the Appstore. The actual risk is entirely up the user. For some sideloading actually improved security and privacy. In my case it required rooting since non-root firewall stills shunt your data through a 3rd party server. Meh. Root firewall blocks data directly from your phone.

If iOS (and Android) has a built in firewall, I would have no reason to want to sideload.

Sideloading would be block by default. It is on Android. The user has to unlock by choice. For iOS, it should be a lot more than just toggling a switch. Bury under a ton of security so the users can't say they turn it on by mistake. "I pushed UUDDLRLRBA 2x by mistake."

Yeah, that's what "risk" means—there's a potential for damage. The vast majority of iOS users will not be sideloading firewall apps, they'll be tricked into sideloading, for example, a version of the Facebook app that skirts Apple's privacy protections and allows the app to monitor your every tap, or a scam app that Apple would have rejected from the Store.

To claim that users' privacy and security wouldn't be at increased risk with sideloading shows that Vestager is either incredibly naive or just entirely ignorant about tech.

 

[Eso]

...a handful of popular apps that will jump at the chance to be outside of Apple's control if given the option.

And why is that? Perhaps because Apple’s control over their product is detrimental to their business in a way that absolutely no other platform is (including MacOS)? Weird huh.

I'd rather Android lovers not ruin my choice to run a phone OS that protects my privacy and security by not allowing sideloading

Have you really demonstrated to what degree iOS protects your privacy and security, and how detrimental sideloading would be? How non-private and insecure is the desktop OS that you certainly use? You act like the moment sideloading is possible that it will a completely compromised experience.

 

[Naraxus]

There is no vast majority of end users asking to be able to sideload apps, just another tiny minority of loud users who keep trying to force Apple to conduct business the same way as Google and Microsoft

Source? Or is this just hyperbole on your part?

 

[Grohowiak]

I think humans reached their pinnacle sometime ago cause reading this forum makes you want to cry.
Paranoia + lack of knowledge = apologists of the harshest profit driven control scheme in Todays market.

What I wonder is... if people are so scared of it because deep down they already know that they will start using those alternate stores because of the price, intentionally putting themselves at risk lmao

Choice ain't bad. GO EU, US will follow.

Instead of dumbing everything down in fear of yourself why don't you all start promoting knowledge and educating yourself and everybody around you.

 

[jarman92]

Waiting for pages of comments telling EU officials they don’t know what they are doing.
While some fear Apple growing way too big, they get to decide anyone’s fate with the snap of finger and suffer no consequences from that.
I know, there are millions of Americans loving private company controlling their lives.

Oh wait, there it is: phantom of choice.

Apple makes decisions for users of Apple devices, who are a minority in the EU. Anyone who doesn't like that Apple has control over their device(s) has an enormous range of Android devices to choose from. Those of us who don't mind Apple's control, or who actually prefer it to the alternative, will stick with Apple.

That's not a "phantom of choice," it's just choice.

 

[deevey]

If the required qualification is to be a software engineer, then that disqualifies Tim Cook when he said that sideloading is "not in the best interests of the user" and would "destroy the security of the iPhone."

Tim Cook: Sideloading is a disaster and proposed App Store reforms would harm user privacy and security

Apple CEO stays on message during interview while Epic case rumbles along

www.theregister.com

He has smart people working for him and a background in tech. The EU, not so much

 

[grandM]

Spot on.

I very much prefer my iPhone to stay the way it is, and even if sideloading is allowed I won’t sideload apps.

Your phones will remain as secure and privates as they are if you wish so, don’t be afraid. It’s only apple’s revenue that’ll be affected, no reason to be concerned unless you’ve invested in apple.

No. Devs will see lower priced competing apps on other stores. Starters might see no other option than to abandon the App Store. Or they give up market share or decrease their already small revenue.

 

[grandM]

Apple makes decisions for users of Apple devices, who are a minority in the EU. Anyone who doesn't like that Apple has control over their device(s) has an enormous range of Android devices to choose from. Those of us who don't mind Apple's control, or who actually prefer it to the alternative, will stick with Apple.

That's not a "phantom of choice," it's just choice.

The EU can enforce it on EU soil.

 

[ksgant]

Didn't know that Apple's privacy policies prevented people in the EU from buying Android phones. That's pretty powerful!

 

[Shirasaki]

Apple makes decisions for users of Apple devices, who are a minority in the EU. Anyone who doesn't like that Apple has control over their device(s) has an enormous range of Android devices to choose from. Those of us who don't mind Apple's control, or who actually prefer it to the alternative, will stick with Apple.

That's not a "phantom of choice," it's just choice.

Yeah I know. It’s just a choice of submitting one’s life to which tech giant. In that regard, I hardly see any difference between either “choice”.

 

[mac.ross]

Spot on.

I very much prefer my iPhone to stay the way it is, and even if sideloading is allowed I won’t sideload apps.

Your phones will remain as secure and privates as they are if you wish so, don’t be afraid. It’s only apple’s revenue that’ll be affected, no reason to be concerned unless you’ve invested in apple.

I think that in isolation this would be true but I don't think it would be true in reality.

Lets use one of the big drivers behind this debate as an example: Epic

Epic want this to happen so they can release their own competing App Store, they've quite literally admitted to this in court.

Another industry Epic is trying to make moves in is the PC game distribution market with their Epic Games Store and their actions over the last several years honestly worries me if it were to be translated to the mobile app space.

'Don't be afraid, you don't have to use their store' you'd say and if a competing store was the only effect this had then that would be completely true but that's not true in reality.

They've thrown millions at developers to release games solely through their Epic Games Store, games that were initially to be released through competing platforms like Steam and GOG that people actually *choose* to use.

There's a laundry list of games that you can now only get through the Epic Games Store, this isn't because they are made by Epic or their Games Store is the go-to platform for people, it's because they've paid developers for exclusivity to the detriment of users who now have zero choice to go elsewhere and use a preferred platform.

The choice isn't Steam vs GOG vs Epic, there is no choice, it's either use the Epic Games Store or you don't get to play the game.

I don't want a world where the Epics of the world start throwing money at app developers for exclusivity and turn app distribution into the same fractured and disjointed mess over several different app stores that end up giving consumers zero actual choice and only serves to force them into using platforms they otherwise wouldn't choose to use were it not for this type of behaviour.

 

[Glideslope]

Wait, why is an European Union Chief going to have a ‘long 4th of July weekend’? 🤨🙂

How come a Chief is automatically a man? 😛 The EU Chief in question is a Danish woman called Margrethe Vestager.

It‘s the EU. 😉

 

[grandM]

He has smart people working for him and a background in tech. The EU, not so much

'In April, the European Union issued a preliminary ruling that accused Apple of abusing its power to distort the market for music streaming services. If it decides to take action, the company could be fined up to $27bn.'

 

[frenchcamp49er]

How stupid are some people?

 

[One2Grift]

I think we are on the same page. By selling “privacy” they increase their profits.

Gasp! No! Apple providing privacy security well above the competition could increase their sales and profits?? Those terrible people! Damn I love the anti Apple crowd's cry that Apple is a for profit business.

Hey! how about we review the for profit angle?
One company, Google, massively gathers your data to increase effectiveness of advertising and sales. They do it to make a profit and are globally the most profitable company at that.
The other company, Apple, doesn't massively gather your data and does virtually no data mined data advertising. They do it for the profit of selling hardware that has a very elevated level of privacy security.

Which for profit story would you rather belong too?

 

[grandM]

It‘s the EU. 😉

These people had their own vaccination center guaranteeing themselves vaccines while they negotiated so on price the general population was dying because we had none.

And don't think the common people can get into that fortress.