The corporation asserted, without providing any specifics, that the regulations of the EU could put the privacy and security of users at risk.
Apple reportedly announced on Friday that it would delay the introduction of its most prominent artificial intelligence features in iOS 18 in the European Union, conveniently citing limitations imposed by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The revelation was published by Bloomberg, which stated that the corporation made the assertion that it would prevent the launch of Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring on the Mac, and SharePlay Screen Sharing in the European Union this year.
“We are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security,” the company said in a statement to Bloomberg. “We are concerned that this could compromise the integrity of our products.” Apple failed to elaborate on the ways in which DMA legislation could compel the company to violate the privacy and security of its users.
Having been passed in 2022, the Digital Market Act (DMA) is an attempt to bring about fair competition by limiting the actions that large technology corporations can take to discourage competition. It prevents them from displacing smaller competitors, favoring their own services over those of competitors, locking the data of their clients onto their platform, and limiting openness over how they use advertising data.
This is not the first time that Apple has pointed the finger of blame at rules, devoid of providing much in the way of specifics, for preventing customers in the European Union from having access to beneficial features. As a result of DMA regulations, the business announced earlier this year that it will eliminate the capability to add online applications to the home screen in Europe. After some time, it changed its mind, citing “requests” that it had received. Similar actions were taken by Google when it deleted watch faces and third-party applications from European smartphones, citing “new regulatory requirements” as the reason for the removal.
Apple’s delay is a result of the fact that EU rules are a source of frustration for the firm. In March, the European Commission formally started an investigation against the corporation, and it is rumored that the commission intends to file charges against the company for infringement of the DMA within the next few weeks. A fine of €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) was previously levied against the firm earlier this year for prohibiting app developers from alerting iOS consumers about cheaper music subscription plans that were offered outside of the company’s ecosystem.