Apple boss Tim Cook on Tuesday slammed attempts to regulate the App Store, the US tech giant’s online store, saying the plans threaten the privacy of Apple users. iPhone.
At an International Association of Privacy Professionals summit in Washington, Cook sought to drum up support, even as politicians in the United States and elsewhere seek to force Apple to make it possible to install on iPhone of mobile applications downloaded outside the App Store.
“We are deeply concerned about regulations that would undermine the privacy and security of the services,” Cook said. The dangers we face do more than compromise our data: they compromise our freedom as human beings. »
The Cupertino group is engaged in a legal dispute with Epic Games, the creator of the video game Fortnite, which sought to circumvent App Store rules and accuses Apple of exercising a monopoly on the purchase of goods and services in its online store. Last fall, a US federal judge ordered Apple to allow an alternative payment system within the App Store, but also ruled that Epic had failed to prove that Apple had violated the right to competition.
The Apple brand is also battling with several European competition regulators.
Allowing iPhone users to “manually install” apps from online stores other than the App Store would bypass Apple’s verification process that aims to prevent the spread of viruses and limit data collection , underlined Mr. Cook. “This means that companies seeking to exploit data would be able to derogate from our rules on the protection of privacy and start tracking our users without their own free will”, assured the leader. “It would also allow malicious actors to bypass our arsenal of privacy protection measures by putting them in direct contact with our users. »
Apple’s critics accuse the company of designing the App Store for its exclusive benefit by capturing a huge share of the financial transactions that take place there and exercising strict control over app developers. “If we’re forced to approve apps that haven’t been validated, the unintended consequences will be profound,” Cook said. “We will continue to make our voice heard on this subject,” he promised.