In a new letter, Apple accuses the European Union of its digital laws contradicting each other. This, the company claims, ultimately makes mobile platforms less secure for consumers. The letter from Apple’s general counsel Kyle Andeer addresses questions from the European Commission regarding protection against fraud and minors in the App Store. In the sharply worded letter, which the US television broadcaster CBS has obtained, Andeer explains that the measures taken by the EU against Apple under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) are leading to precisely what the Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to prevent.

While the DMA aims to strengthen competition in the digital space, the DSA is about imposing certain rules on digital platforms to counter illegal and harmful content. The DSA particularly focuses on the protection of minors. In both cases, high fines are threatened for violations. Due to its user numbers, Apple is one of those companies that are particularly in the regulators’ focus.

“Reckless and dangerous”

Andeer considers it contradictory that the DMA obliges Apple to enable links from apps and to do so “without meaningful safeguards.” This, he argues, exposes users to fraud and scams on third-party platforms that Apple cannot control or monitor. According to Andeer, Apple has repeatedly warned the EU that its approach is “reckless and even dangerous.” The new rules, he claims, have opened the door to financial fraud, pornography, and data protection issues.

At the same time, in October, the EU sent inquiries to Apple and others based on the DSA, asking whether sufficient security measures for minors had been implemented. The inquiries concerned how, for example, financial fraud in apps is prevented and how it is ensured that companies are who they claim to be. This is precisely where Apple sees the contradiction between the two laws: one weakens security, while the other expects the previous level of security – or even more.

EU should think holistically

Andeer writes that the EU should think holistically instead of viewing and enforcing the DMA and DSA as separate pieces of legislation. Apple publishes its statistics annually in public reports, on how many fraudulent apps have been removed from the App Store. The current letter adds to the increasingly escalating dispute between the iPhone manufacturer and the EU. Apple recently filed a lawsuit against the EU regulations, after the company was fined over 500 million euros for violating the DMA.

Specific requirements from the EU Commission for the implementation of interoperability on Apple devices are also causing conflict. It has recently become known that Apple is therefore disabling automatic synchronization of Wi-Fi access data between iPhone and watch in the EU on the Apple Watch.

(mki)

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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.