New Law Proposed By EU Could Destroy iPhone Security, Apple Warns

The European Union (EU)’s proposed new rules on tech giants will undermine the security of the iPhone, Apple Boss, Tim Cook warned on Wednesday.

Last year, the EU unveiled tough draft rules targeting tech giants such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, that could regulate the business of the Big Tech companies.

While speaking at the VivaTech convention for startups in Paris, looking at some of the rules, Cook said it targets online “gatekeepers” such as Apple which control which apps can be installed on its phones and tablets.

Cook added that the current proposals “would force side loading on the iPhone, and so this will be an alternative way of getting apps onto the iPhone.”

He added that Sideloading would allow iPhone users to install apps directly from publishers, something they could not do currently.

The restriction that iPhone owners may only buy apps from Apple’s App Store, where commissions run up to 30 percent, is at the heart of a lawsuit between the tech giant and Epic Games, the publisher of the popular Fortnite video game.

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The EU also pushed forward with charges against Apple over the App Store, saying the company used it to squeeze out rivals.

Apple has countered that restrictions on downloading apps are essential to protect consumers from dangerous software.

Cook warned Wednesday that the proposed EU rules “would destroy the security of the iPhone, and a lot of privacy initiatives that we’ve built into the App Store.”

He said that some parts of the draft EU rules “are not in the best interest of the user”.

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Cook said he is deeply worried about privacy and security, and that Apple will “constructively take part in the debate and hope we can find a way forward” in shaping the legislation.

The Digital Service Act and Digital Markets Act that the European Commission proposed in December would give it the power to impose huge penalties on tech giants that violate competition rules or even break them up.

But the draft laws will have to go through a long and complex ratification process, with the EU’s 27 states, the European Parliament, and a lobbying frenzy of companies and trade associations influencing the final law.