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Understanding The EU’s Mandate For Threat-Informed Penetration Testing

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports that nearly one-fifth of cyber incidents in the past two decades have impacted the global financial sector, causing...

Tech leaders contest Apple’s new App Store policy, citing anti-competitive concerns.

Tech giants Meta, Microsoft, X (previously known as Twitter), and Match Group have criticized Apple’s StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (US) in an amicus curiae brief filed with a California District Court, labeling it anti-competitive. This policy, initiated by Apple, was a response to a directive from the Epic Games lawsuit, mandating that Apple allow developers in the U.S. App Store to guide users to external websites for making purchases. However, these companies argue that the policy, while ostensibly permitting developers to promote external purchase options, imposes a requirement for developers to seek Apple’s approval to integrate out-of-app purchase links into their apps. Moreover, Apple’s additional restrictions are seen as a deterrent for developers to employ external linking, thus undermining the intent of the court’s order.

Meta and its allies contend that Apple’s policy does not truly align with the “letter or spirit” of the court’s ruling. They assert that Apple’s continued anti-steering provisions, which restrict developers from promoting alternative purchasing methods, could lead to higher prices within the digital economy, adversely affecting consumers and small businesses across the U.S. The companies urge the court to disapprove of Apple’s policy, pointing out that it contravenes the court’s injunction that explicitly forbade Apple from limiting developers’ ability to inform customers about payment alternatives outside of Apple’s ecosystem. The injunction had explicitly required Apple to allow developers to incorporate features like buttons or external links in their apps, directing customers to alternative payment options.