Despite potential disagreements with the Trump administration, the European Union has boosted its surveillance of tech behemoths. Due to alleged infractions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to maintain fair competition, the European Commission has launched action against Alphabet’s (GOOGL), Google’s (AAPL), and Apple’s (AAPL).
Apple Faces Interoperability Allegations
Regarding IOS connectivity capabilities and the procedure for managing developer interoperable requests, Apple has been hit with two sets of guidelines on adhering to the Commission’s interoperability criteria. This entails outlining the business’s internal features in detail, delivering timely notifications of progress for requests, and establishing a review schedule.
Heavy Penalties for Non-Compliance
Because Apple forbids third-party hardware from connecting to its systems, the EU believes the business has violated the Digital Markets Act. Penalties for breaking the DMA can reach 10% of the business’s global sales, and in circumstances of repeated violations, they can reach 20%.
The Commission started two DMA proceedings in September 2024 to pressure Apple to improve iOS, iPadOS, and third-party device compatibility to foster competition. It gave Apple its initial conclusions and suggested fixes two months later, and as of yesterday, they have been formally accepted.
Apple Defends Its Ecosystem
Apple issued a warning in December 2024 that allowing outside parties exposure to its technological stack would jeopardize security and privacy. It emphasized how, by the DMA, Meta had submitted 15 queries for entry to Apple software features, such as texting and iPhone mirroring. Apple claimed that granting these requests would give access to large amounts of private user data to a business that “has been fined by regulators time and again for privacy violations.”
