2 min

Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software, took to the stage at the Web Summit in Lisbon to argue on behalf of the iPhone behemoth. The company objects to the EU’s draft DMA and DSA guidelines that would make it illegal for the company to force customers to get apps only from its App Store.

The company is anxious to continue its monopoly on iOS apps, and frequently uses debunked or negligible levels of risk to claim that this move would open a can of worms on a level not seen before.

It is a grim picture that a public that doesn’t understand the technicalities of security might weigh against their freedoms and probably end up handing the leash back to Tim Cook, out of ignorance.

Total control

The Digital Markets Act is in Brussels under scrutiny from lawmakers. The Act would force phone makers to allow third-party software installations on their devices from outside the App Store.

Critics of the increasingly powerful Big Tech clique say Apple and others use this control over software to get a leg up on the competition by building ecosystems and then locking everyone but insiders and investors with a common goal inside, hence the term ‘gatekeeper.’

Apple calls side-loading (a name intended to make third-party app installations sound dirty) a cybercriminal’s best friend.

Dishonest conflation by Apple

Companies like Spotify have been taking on Apple from various fronts (privacy to high commissions) have labeled what Apple does ‘anti-competitive.’

The actions taken by the company specifically target smaller competitors who might be producing better software, free software, or in-demand software that could threaten its chokehold on everyone who wants in on the iOS ecosystem.

One thing to remember is that the opening up of these gates to third-party app makers does not advocate for lower standards. The standards are as high as Apple wants them to be, which makes it obvious what this is about; Smaug wants to keep and grow his ungodly pile of gold!