According to Apple, Europe’s latest requests will “offer our private data to Facebook”

With the Digital Markets Act, its major digital regulation text, the European Commission has forced Apple to make a very large number of changes. Among them: opening the iPhone to alternative application stores, removing almost all system applications or replacing Apple Pay with competing software. Most of these changes are exclusive to the EU, since Apple has not rolled them out elsewhere.

In a press release published on December 18, to which Apple responded on its developer site, the European Commission said it was launching a consultation to force Apple to make new changes. In the name of interoperability, it requires that an iPhone or iPad no longer distinguishes between an Apple Watch and a competing watch, an Apple Vision Pro and a third-party VR headset or a HomePod speaker and an audio product from a other brand. Apple is not opposed to the idea, but indicates that its implementation could be fatal for Europeans’ data.

“It gets personal”: Apple accuses Europe of targeting it and not understanding its privacy policy

In its document, Apple does not directly attack the European Union’s request, but denounces the ” abuse “ that it could cause.

On paper, Apple says it is rather favorable to the idea that a Google watch can do the same thing as an Apple Watch, in the name of competition rights. The brand nevertheless says it fears that the European Commission does not fully understand the functioning of an operating system like iOS, which processes all data locally.

The example given by Apple is that of an Apple Watch which receives an SMS from an iPhone and can respond to it, without going through web servers. The current operation guarantees the user that the content of the message is never read by anyone. In the event that a third-party developer obtains the same system rights as Apple, then it would be free to apply its own privacy policy. A European’s entire iMessage history could then be absorbed by Google or Meta, without the slightest safeguard.

With these explanations, Apple hopes to convince Europe that its consultation is on the wrong track, while counting on the support of its users to better supervise the project. The brand notably suggests that the false information according to which our phones listen to us could become a reality if access to the microphone was no longer subject to manual validations. Today there is a small indicator. Tomorrow, if the micro is a system service obtained by a developer, then there might no longer be one.

Meta has already requested 15 special authorizations from Apple: the brand denounces its behavior

As part of the interoperability offered by the DMA, the Meta group, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger, has already made 15 special requests to Apple in order to be able to put its Meta Quest headsets and Meta Ray-Ban glasses on a stand on par with the Apple Vision Pro. “No company has made more requests than Meta” says Apple.

According to Apple, Meta is the perfect example of the company wanting to abuse DMA. The brand asks to be able to control access to messages, Wi-Fi networks, the camera, Bluetooth, the screen, CarPlay and notifications from an iPhone, just for its VR headset. Apple indicates that granting this access would allow it to collect all the data from an iPhone on its servers, without the user being able to do anything. Apple is refusing Meta’s requests for now, but could be forced to say yes if Europe forces it to do so.

“If Apple were to agree to all these requests, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp could allow Meta to read all their messages and emails on a user’s device, see all their phone calls, track all the apps they use , all your photos, view your files and calendars, save all your passwords, and much more. This is data that Apple itself has chosen not to access in order to provide the strongest possible protection. explains the brand in its article sent to Europe.

“Apple is the only company obligated to share its innovations in this way with others, including those who do not share its commitment to protecting user privacy,” the company adds.

A little bad faith, but also truths

Is Apple right to oppose the European project? Let’s not be naive, he also protects his own business.

The Californian manufacturer had also denounced risks for user security with the opening of the iPhone to third-party applications, but has perfectly succeeded in regulating the distribution of third-party applications outside the App Store for the moment. It would certainly be possible for Apple to implement protective APIs, which guarantee data processed locally on third-party devices, provided that Europe does not explicitly ask it to lower the level of security.

Even if Apple exaggerates, the brand is undoubtedly right when it denounces the abuses made possible by the DMA.

If the European Commission does not strictly regulate data sharing, then groups like Meta or Google could use European justice to force Apple to open up a little more each time, and therefore steal user data without them. protections currently in place. The virtual contract signed between the customer and their iPhone would then be broken, since Apple would no longer be the one keeping their data. It is in Apple’s interest, and therefore consumers’ interests, to ensure that Europe understands that interoperability does not come down to “open the iPhone to competitors”. The risks could be great if a company abuses its special permissions to feed its own algorithms.

Europe’s consultation will end on January 9, 2025, with instructions then sent directly to Apple.