Apple Says There Are Security Risks If EU Opens Its Software

On Wednesday, October 13, Apple ramped up its criticism of EU draft rules that would force it to allow users to install software from outside its App Store, claiming that would boost the risk of cybercriminals and malware.

But the Coalition for App Fairness, which includes Spotify, Match Group, and Epic Games, dismissed Apple’s arguments, and stated that built-in security measures such as encrypted data and antivirus programs provide security to devices, not the App Store.

The group wants regulators to loosen Apple’s grip on its App Store so they can bypass it to reach Apple’s hundreds of millions of users and also to avoid paying commissions of up to 30% for purchases made in the Store.

The iPhone maker has been a fierce critic of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s proposed rules, announced last year in a bid to rein in Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet unit Google.

Building on CEO Tim Cook’s comments in June about the risks to privacy and security of iPhones, on Wednesday Apple published an analysis on the threats of so-called side-loading. 

“If Apple were forced to support sideloading, more harmful apps would reach users because it would be easier for cybercriminals to target them – even if sideloading were limited to third-party app stores only,” the report stated.

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