For Bloomberg Opinion, Tae Kim writes that with lawmakers are circling Apple, regulating the company’s App Store likely to have unintended consequences, doing more harm than good.
Tae Kim for Bloomberg Opinion:
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee advanced a series of antitrust bills—a couple of which, if passed, could force Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS and enable the ability for users to install apps from sources of their choosing… While final passage in Congress is uncertain, Apple is taking the legislation seriously. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has reportedly personally called Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lobby against the bills.
Apple is arguing that allowing third-party app stores on iOS would create security and privacy problems. Smartphones contain our most sensitive personal information—from passwords to bank accounts, intimate health data to contact details. Allowing users to install apps not vetted by the smartphone maker’s App Store review process could very well raise the overall risks.
Tightly controlled access has its benefits. According to a 2020 Nokia Threat Intelligence Report, Apple’s iOS was afflicted with the smallest percentage of overall malware infections at 1.7%, compared with 27% for Android and 39% for Windows PCs. The researchers credited the divergence to the fact that Alphabet Inc.’s Google Android system allows the installation of apps from external sources, while Apple’s does not.
MacDailyNews Take: When D.C. idiots decide to “do something” in order to make a name for themselves, one can only hope they cause as little damage as possible.
There are downsides to everything; there are unintended consequences to everything. — Steve Jobs
We urge careful consideration as legislation often produces unintended consequences. — MacDailyNews, February 13, 2008