Apple on Wednesday hit out at the Meta platform, saying multiple requests to access the iPhone maker’s software tools for its devices could affect users’ privacy and security, underscoring the intense rivalry between the two tech giants.
Under the European Union’s landmark Digital Markets Act that took effect last year, Apple must allow competitors and app developers to interact with its own services or risk fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover.
Meta has made 15 interactive requests, more than any other company, for potentially far-reaching access to Apple’s technology stack, the latter said in a report.
“In many cases, Meta is attempting to change functionality in a way that raises concerns about users’ privacy and security, and that appears to be completely unrelated to the actual use of Meta peripherals such as Meta Smart Glasses and Meta Quests,” Apple said.
The Meta Quest is Meta’s virtual reality headset, part of the company’s ambitions to own a computational platform that powers virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) devices.
“If Apple were to accept all these requests, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp could enable Meta to read all their messages and emails on a user’s device, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app they use, their Scan all their photos, view their files and calendar events, log all their passwords, and more,” Apple said.
It pointed to Meta’s privacy fines in recent years in Europe as a cause for concern. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Separately, the European Commission – which said in September it would spell out how Apple should open up to rivals – published its preliminary findings on the issue on Wednesday evening, giving individuals, companies and institutions until January 9 to respond to Apple’s proposals.
A decision by the EU executive, which acts as a competition watchdog in the 27-country bloc, is expected in March next year on whether Apple will comply with the DMA’s interoperability provisions.
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