EU Orders Apple To Open Up iPhones To Other Competitors in the Industry

Tech giant Apple just rolled out a new white paper that backs the EU’s policy of opening up the iPhone to other arch-rivals in the tech industry. However, the Cupertino firm did confirm that this law came with a certain amount of risk.

Apple’s latest white paper is very similar to the one it launched in March of 2024. It raised so many concerns related to the DMA and the great security threats the company faces from the law in terms of interoperability.

The iPhone maker seems to be following this method again where it highlighted the mega security risks which users would have through so many of its features. One example was recording audio via the device’s microphone.

The news comes after publishing the document in the EU and asking the iPhone maker to alter the proprietary tech so it’s accessible to each and every one. Many felt the tech giant got too personal in its decisions. Many argued that Apple’s behavior was characteristic of the interoperability mandate and that keeps users’ private data at risk.

The iPhone maker is getting very particular about the whole matter and explaining that it doesn’t disagree with the EU and that it’s not criticizing the law in place. But it does feel it needs to be open to changes and if the gray areas don’t get highlighted, how can they be changed?

Apple receives what it feels are interoperability requests from many different companies. Now if it’s forced to fulfill every single one of those requests, the risks are major and companies might abuse the law to gain benefits.

The company’s spokesperson even provided an example of Meta generating 15 requests and more related to far-out access to the company’s tech stack. If they end up granting that, it would lessen the protections related to user personal data that many expect from iPhones.

In most cases, the firm says that Apple feels most requests are unrelated to the real external device like those entertaining products like smart glasses or Meta Quests. The firm adds that the tech giant needs apps like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp to get access to every text and email. This means the company could scan all phone calls or track personal data like images, sensitive files, or events. Worst-case scenarios include logging into passwords and beyond.

If that matter is not clear, the iPhone maker cannot even begin to imagine the consequences at stake if the new mandate is followed.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: OpenAI Allows Users To Make Phone Calls To ChatGPT For 15 Minutes On +18002428478
Previous Post Next Post