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Apple’s Cook says proposed EU tech rules threaten security of iPhones

cde.news desk 17 June 2021, 13:00 · 2 min read

epa05171631 (FILE) A man walks in front of the Apple logo during a product announcement event from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, USA, 09 September 2015. Apple chief executive Tim Cook refused the judge's order in an open letter posted on the company's website 16 February 2016 shortly after Judge Sheri Pym ordered the company to help the FBI access data they believe is stored on the phone. The December 2 attack in San Bernardino was carried out by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, at a holiday party at the county office where Farook worked. Fourteen people were killed. Police killed Farook and Malik later that same day in a shoot-out. The FBI wants Apple to help it hack into Farook's iPhone by building a new version of the iOS software that would circumvent security features and install the software on the iPhone, which was recovered during the investigation. EPA/MONICA DAVEY

Apple boss Tim Cook took aim at proposed European rules aimed at curbing the power of U.S. tech giants, saying they could pose security and privacy risks to iPhones.

Cook, in his first public comments about the Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposed by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, said parts were good but others were not. He said he feared the draft rules would lead to more installing of apps that do not come via Apple’s App Store, or “side-loading”.

“You take an example here where I don’t think it’s in the best interest (of the user): the current DMA language that is being discussed would force side-loading on the iPhone,” the Apple CEO, speaking remotely, said at VivaTech, France´s biggest tech conference.

“And so this would be an ultimate way of getting apps onto the iPhone,” he said. “It would destroy the security of the iPhone, and a lot of the privacy initiatives that we’ve built into the App Store or the privacy intrusion labels and app-tracking transparency,” he added.

Earlier this month, EU lawmaker Andreas Schwab, who is leading the European Parliament scrutiny of the draft rules, said he wanted to beef up the legislation and narrow its scope to just big companies like Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook.

Apple would take part in the debate and try to find a way forward, Cook said.

Photo: EPA/MONICA DAVEY