Facebook is once again taking swipes at Apple, this time in regards to new legislation in the European Union that focuses on how Apple runs the App Store and its preinstalled, first-party apps. In a statement to Reuters, a Facebook spokesman said that the company “hopes” the new legislation will “set boundaries for Apple.”
As we reported this morning, there are two parts to the proposed EU legislation. First is the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, which could force Apple to change how its own apps show up in App Store searches and allow users to uninstall all preloaded applications.
The second part is the Digital Services Act, which would affect companies like Google/YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media services the most. The DSA focuses on addressing “illegal and harmful content by asking platforms to rapidly take it down.”
When asked about the proposed changes in the EU, Facebook used it as an opportunity to take another jab at Apple, saying that Apple uses its power to “harm developers and consumers.” Facebook’s full statement:
“We hope the DMA will also set boundaries for Apple,” a Facebook spokesman said. “Apple controls an entire ecosystem from device to app store and apps, and uses this power to harm developers and consumers, as well as large platforms like Facebook,” he said.
Facebook’s comments come the day after Apple rolled out new App Privacy labels on the App Store, designed to make users more aware of the data each app collects and what’s done with that date. Facebook’s App Privacy label is quite extensive, to say the least:
This isn’t the first time Facebook has publicly engaged with Apple. Most recently, the company has been focusing on criticizing Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature, which will come to iOS 14 in early 2021. Mark Zuckerberg also recently slammed Apple for having a “stranglehold” on the iPhone and charging “monopoly rents.”
For its part, Apple has shot back at Facebook by criticizing the company’s data collection policies. Apple has doubled down on its plans to roll out App Tracking Transparency while also accusing Facebook of collecting “as much data as possible” on its users.
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