Apple has removed or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded screen time and parental control apps over the last year, according to the New York Times.
What’s happened: Since Apple created its own screen time tracking app, it’s been systematically removing apps offering similar services from its App Store.
Competing claims: It looks like Apple is using its powerful role as gatekeeper to restrict its competitors. However, the company claims it’s “a matter of security,” specifically, concerns with risks associated with mobile device management technology.
Timing: Apple strongly denies that its behavior is anti-competitive, and says the timing of its decisions wasn’t related to the fact it introduced similar tools. We will learn more thanks to a complaint filed by two parental control apps with the European Union’s competition office last week. Either way, it’s a timely reminder how much power the company has over the fortune of others, just as politicians in the US are starting to mull whether to break upand/or regulate big tech firms.
No comments:
Post a Comment