“Malicious Compliance” – Apple Is Accused of “Extortion” Tactics To Keep Developers Locked Into Its Walled Garden

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. At this point, Apple just might have gotten “too big to comply.” In this case, with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, concerns the tech giant’s extremely lucrative App Store and its golden geese – those who publish there. At least that’s what some of the staunchest critics from the industry itself, like Epic Games (whose opposition to Apple’s policies extended into an “epic” legal battle) – are saying now that Apple is seemingly starting to comply. And they are joined by other developers and non-profits from this space. The disagreements between various regulators and Apple, but also Google, and the controversial, restrictive to the point of monopoly (or duopoly, if you like) way they run online stores for their operating systems has been going on for a long time. Concerning Apple, the main difference is the refusal to let even a cent go “sideways” – i.e., to allow third-party stores, and “sideloading” of apps. Developer David Heinemeier Hansson accused Apple of implementing an “extortion regime.” The EU regulation is supposed to foster competition in the highly dominated, by Apple and Google in Europe and the US, developer/app market, so Apple finally announced that sideloading, alternative stores, and browser engines it does not produce, as well as game streamers, will be allowed starting in March. Another sticking point has been the way app creators can monetize – and now Apple is saying that…“Malicious Compliance” – Apple Is Accused of “Extortion” Tactics To Keep Developers Locked Into Its Walled Garden