Minister of Commerce said about unfavorable influence of Apple and Google Apps
2023.02.02 03:28
Minister of Commerce said about unfavorable influence of Apple and Google Apps
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – A new report on Wednesday claimed that the two tech giants had used their “gatekeeper” power to create “suboptimal” levels of competition in digital markets. This was the Biden administration’s biggest attack yet on Apple and Google’s app stores.
Google “play a significant gatekeeping role by controlling (and restricting) how apps are distributed,” and the various fees and regulations they impose on app developers have created an uneven playing field, according to the company.
“Consumers stand to lose money as a result of all of these factors: prices that go up because gatekeepers charge fees, innovation that is hindered by policy decisions to limit smartphone capabilities, and the lack of options for apps that aren’t featured or even available to smartphone users, according to the report.
The 48-page report supports public criticism of dominant app stores, which has resulted in numerous private lawsuits against Apple and Google, investigations by antitrust regulators in Europe, and reports of a Justice Department investigation.
Apple claimed in a statement that its app store has supported hundreds of thousands of jobs and helped developers. Apple has argued in the past that it helps protect users’ privacy and security by controlling how iOS apps are distributed.
An Apple spokesperson stated, “We respectfully disagree with a number of conclusions reached in the report, which ignore the investments we make in innovation, privacy, and security.” “All of these contribute to why users love iPhone and create a level playing field for small developers to compete on a safe and trusted platform,” the spokesperson added.
Contrary to Apple, Google claims that its Android operating system permits rival app stores.
A Google spokesperson stated, “We disagree with how this report characterizes Android, which enables more choice and competition than any other mobile operating system.” Interoperability, multiple app stores, and sideloading, all of which Android’s open system already supports, are recognized in the report as crucial while maintaining privacy and security.
A regulatory process is not initiated by the publication of Wednesday’s report by a Commerce Department office tasked with advising the president on technology issues. Instead, it offers policy suggestions like restricting the apps that Apple and Google can pre-install or set as defaults on their respective operating systems or granting users the right to install apps from any source.
Additionally, the report urged an increase in antitrust enforcement budgets; an end to some of the restrictions placed on in-app payments by the app store; as well as a clear privacy law that is enacted by the federal government.
Many of the recommendations in the report are similar to provisions in federal legislation that were supported by both parties in the previous Congress but did not become law.
