by Dan Moren
Breaking down Apple’s DMA response
Over at MacStories, our pal John Voorhees does an excellent job of breaking down Apple’s new App Store regulations in Europe:
A corollary to this point to keep in mind is that Apple is making these changes because it has to under EU law. It’s clear from the tone of the company’s press release and our conversations with its representatives that they strongly believe the changes are bad for the security and privacy of its users. By extension, it’s also clear that Apple doesn’t think the benefits to users imposed by the EU’s regulations outweigh those privacy and security tradeoffs. And that, right there, is where reasonable people can differ and what will continue to fuel this debate for a long time.
This issue is complex and far from over: the EU still has to respond to Apple’s proposal before we know exactly what the final rules will look like. John’s examination is very thorough and a must-read for understanding exactly what’s going on here from an Apple strategic level, as well as the dust and bolts of what the company is proposing.
If you’re going to take away anything from this whole episode, I think the most important point is this isn’t a case where either Apple or the EU are wholly on the side of right. Apple may very well care about the security of its users, but it also wants to protect its profit cut from the App Store and the use of its platform. The EU may want to curtail the reach of big technology companies when it comes to their citizens’ best interests, but it also is a large organization that doesn’t entirely understand what’s feasible from a technological perspective and has its own ideological axes to grind. It’s always imperative to interrogate where an argument stems from and who stands to gain.