The Digital Markets Act, which was passed by the European Parliament earlier this year, went into effect on November 1. It has already had a lot of ramifications, but the EU official now says that Apple will be required to enable third-party app stores and more.
Gerard de Graaf, an experienced European official, recently confirmed that USB-C would soon be mandatory on iPhones (via Wired).
According to de Graaf, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) could compel Apple to open up the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch app stores to third-party app stores.
“If you have an iPhone, you should be able to download apps from other app stores or from the internet,” de Graaf says during a green conference room interview at the Irish consulate in San Francisco, where the EU’s office will initially be located.
He said that there would be significant consequences.
[azonpress template=”list” asin=”B06W56TBLN”]
When will Apple make changes in the EU?
Even after the DMA becomes law in the EU, Apple and the other tech giants will not have to make changes right away. There will be tiers for which regulations in the DMA will apply to which firms, but Apple will almost certainly be in the “gatekeeper” tier, which will have the most stringent regulations.
In spring 2019, the EU will announce the tiers each company lands in and then six months for them to make adjustments for compliance.
The DMA is looking to prevent big tech from giving unfair preference to their own apps and services by forcing Apple to open up iPhone to third-party app stores. In addition, it looks to force Apple to open up iPhone to third-party app stores, which would force Apple to open up iPhone to third-party app stores.
The Digital Markets Act is the only other law that has been approved by the EU that will have an impact on Apple. It’s likely, but not certain, that the Digital Services Act will have a more significant impact on Apple.
De Graaf believes that tech giants must be regulated more severely to help protect people and other businesses from unfair practices, as well as to allow society to reap the full benefits of technology. According to him, the nonbinding AI Bill of Rights recently released by the US White House could be jeopardized if there is not enough regulation. He fears that people’s trust in AI would be at risk if they believe that it discriminates against them and leads to adverse outcomes.
[azonpress template=”table” asin=”B01K48T09Y,B08D9N7RJ4,B07THRGHVX,B07H7RQHF7,B07NP2NF9J,B084DCJKSL,B08HRPDYTP,B0131RG6VK”]
