According to a Reuters report, Apple has issued a complaint against Meta about the DMA’s mandatory interoperability requests. The iPhone maker says Meta has issued 15 of these requests, which could affect users’ privacy and security. Meta disagrees.
First, a quick introduction. The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires that Apple allow rivals and third-party app developers to interoperate with its services or face hefty fines of up to ten percent of global turnover. Under the terms of the DMA, Apple must allow other companies to submit interoperability requests for hardware and software affecting iOS and iPadOS devices.
Apple must assess these requests and, if approved, create solutions to allow effective interoperability. Meta has issued 15 of these requests, more than any other company, and Apple says compliance will give the company broader access to its technology stack. Apple also says that doing so could put users’ privacy and security at risk.
“If Apple were to grant all of these requests, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could enable Meta to read all of a user’s messages and emails on their device, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app they use, scan all of their photos, view their files and calendar events, log all of their passwords, and much more,” Apple wrote in a statement to Reuters.
The company also mentioned Meta’s recent privacy issues across Europe. Meta has been fined in various countries for tracking users in the app, in addition to data breaches and other concerns.
Meta, of course, has a different take on things. The social media and VR giant wrote that “what Apple is really saying is that they don’t believe in interoperability. Every time Apple is called out for its anti-competitive behavior, they defend themselves on privacy grounds that have no basis in reality.”
We don’t know if the EU will intervene on behalf of Apple or Meta in this case, but the European Commission recently published preliminary directives on how Apple should open up to rivals. These measures require Apple to be transparent about the various steps, timelines, and criteria related to fulfilling interoperability requests.
These proposed measures are open for debate until January 9. In March, a decision is expected on whether Apple has complied with the DMA’s interoperability provision.