Apple Warns EU, If It Allows Users To Install Software From Outside The App Store, The Risk Of Malware Increases

Apple warns of danger if users can install software from outside the app store. (photo: unsplash)

JAKARTA - Apple Inc on Wednesday, October 13 stepped up its criticism of a draft EU rule that would force it to allow users to install software from outside its App Store. Apple said it would increase the risk of cybercrime and malware.

But the Coalition for App Fairness, which includes Spotify, Match Group and Epic Games, rejected Apple's argument, saying that built-in security measures such as encrypted data and antivirus programs provide security on devices, not the App Store.

The group wants regulators to loosen Apple's grip on its App Store so they can bypass it to reach hundreds of millions of Apple users and also to avoid paying commissions of up to 30% for purchases made in the Store.

The iPhone maker has been a fierce critic of EU Antitrust Chair Margrethe Vestager's proposed rules, which were announced last year in a bid to rein in units of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google's Alphabet.

Based on CEO Tim Cook's comments in June about iPhone privacy and security risks, Apple on Wednesday published an analysis of a threat called sideloading.

"If Apple is forced to support sideloading, more malicious apps will reach users because it will be easier for cybercriminals to target them - even if sideloading is limited to third-party app stores only," the report said.

It warns of malicious apps migrating to third-party stores and infecting consumer devices, while users will have less control over downloaded apps.

The study cites figures from cybersecurity service provider Kaspersky Lab that show nearly six million attacks per month affect Android mobile devices.

The group's lawyer, Damien Geradin, said the sideloading was just a distraction.

"What is important to us is the obligation imposed on developers whose apps sell digital goods and services to use Apple's In-App payment system," he told Reuters.

"Apple's security claims have no basis. Alternative payment solutions provided by Stripe, Adyen or Paypal are as secure as IAP," he said. The draft EU rules also target these practices.

Apple has also attacked digital advertisers at odds with its new privacy controls designed to limit them from tracking iPhone users.

"Large companies that rely on digital advertising say they have lost revenue because of this privacy feature, and may therefore have an incentive to distribute their apps via special sideloading to bypass this protection," the report said.

Vestager's draft rules need the green light from EU lawmakers and EU states before they can become law, likely only in 2023.