Apple is encouraging senators to oppose an antitrust bill that would allow iPhone users to sideload apps.
According to Bloomberg, the business wrote a letter on Thursday to members of a US Senate committee reviewing the measure, stating that if passed, the bill would “damage user security and privacy, create expansive liability exposure and legal uncertainty, and restrict customer choice.”
If the law is passed by Congress, Apple’s chief of government affairs in the Americas, Tim Powderly, writes that “virus, frauds, and data-exploitation will spread” on the iPhone and iPad.
“We are gravely concerned that, unless altered, the legislation will make it easier for giant social media platforms to sidestep Apple’s pro-consumer standards and continue business as usual,” Tim Powderly, Apple’s head of government affairs in the Americas, wrote in the letter.
“By delivering apps without crucial privacy and security checks, unscrupulous actors would be able to avoid Apple’s privacy and security measures,” he stated. “These provisions would encourage the spread of viruses, frauds, and data exploitation.”
Apple has fought tooth and nail against any legislation that would allow users to download programs from sources other than the App Store onto their iPhones. Consumers can trust the corporation because of its strong control over iPhone apps, according to the company. People who own an iPhone know they don’t have to worry about installing damaging apps because Apple’s App Store undergoes a rigorous screening procedure.
This isn’t always the case, though. Some malicious apps have managed to get past the cracks. Wordle, an online word game that has been hijacked by copycat apps on the App Store, is one example. All of them were finally removed by Apple, but they had to go through the review procedure first.
Naturally, no one will be able to catch everything. If it were possible, some developers could seek to release apps through their own iPhone shops to circumvent Apple’s 15-30 percent fee on apps and in-app purchases. We’ll have to wait and see if the bill passes the committee, as well as how it performs in front of the entire US Senate.
