A PYMNTS Company

Apple’s Tim Cook Speaks Out Against New Antitrust Legislation

By  |  April 12, 2022

Apple CEO Tim Cook warned in a speech at a Washington, DC, conference on Tuesday that antitrust legislation aimed at lessening the monopoly power of app stores could harm users, The Hill reported.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    “We are deeply concerned about regulations that would undermine privacy and security in service of some other aim,” Cook said at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit.

    “Here in Washington and elsewhere, policy makers are taking steps in the name of competition that would force Apple to let apps on the iPhone that circumvent the App Store through a process called ‘sideloading,’” he continued.

    Apple has pushed back against letting iPhone users download products from third parties, or sideloading, in white papers and letters to Congress.

    The company warns that doing so would open up users to spyware or malware infections.

    “[Sideloading] means data hungry companies would be able to avoid our privacy rules and once again track our users against their will,” Cook said Tuesday. “It would also potentially give bad actors away around the comprehensive security protections we put in place, putting them in direct contact with our users.”

    Proponents of legislation to force Apple to allow sideloading both in Washington and Europe argue that the company’s tight control over the App Store gives it a stranglehold over developers that it can exploit to charge exorbitant fees.

    The bipartisan Open App Markets Act would enshrine the right to sideload and block Apple as well as Google from requiring developers to use their payment tools, helping make it easier for developers to distribute their apps and connect with their customers. The bill was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year but has yet to get a vote on the floor.

    “Apple believes in competition,” Cook noted. “But if we are forced to lead unvetted apps on the iPhone, the unintended consequences will be profound.”

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.