Apple is particularly not fond of the Digital Markets Act, which was presented by the European Commission last December. The act stops companies like Apple, Google, and Meta (previously famously known as Facebook) to abuse their power and requires them to open their platform to competitors.
During a Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Apple software senior vice president, Craig Federighi said that the proposed European regulation that could force Apple to allow iPhone users to install software from the web, also known as “sideloading” would open up “Pandora’s box” and pose threats and malware to the entire networks of computers.
Apple’s control over the iPhone software has been under scrutiny by regulators and lawmakers from around the world. “European policymakers have often been ahead of the curve,” Federighi said. “But requiring sideloading on iPhone would be a step backward. Instead of creating choice, it could open up a Pandora’s Box of unreviewed malware and software.”
In a report filed with the U.S SEC last month, Apple openly talked about the Digital Markets Act and the effects that would come with it if it’s enacted, which would end up harming the company’s financial results. But during the summit on Wednesday, Federighi didn’t address the financial problem, rather he argued that the sideloading would trick users into accidentally downloading malware into their phones. “Even if you have no intention of sideloading, people are routinely coerced or tricked into doing it,” Federighi said, citing malware on Google’s Android, which allows sideloading. “That one provision in the DMA would force every iPhone user into a landscape of professional con artists constantly trying to fool them.”
Looks like Apple is trying to play the role of saving Grace and helping people not fall prey to malicious content by allowing them to only use Apple authorized software even if they can get a cheaper alternative from some other website.