Apple and Facebook’s parent company Metaplatform are at war again. The iPhone maker accused Meta of making numerous requests to the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to access Apple’s software tools in ways that could compromise users’ privacy and security. The comments highlight the growing competition between the two tech giants.
Under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force last year, Apple must allow rival companies and app developers to integrate their services into Apple’s ecosystem, or it will lose annual global revenue. fines of up to 10% may be imposed.
Apple: Facebook and Instagram want more access than any other app
According to Apple’s report, Meta has filed 15 interoperability requests seeking broader access to Apple’s technology, more than any other company to date.
Apple expressed concern that many of Meta’s requests change device functionality in ways that could compromise user privacy and security. Specifically, they noted that these changes appear to be unrelated to Meta’s own external devices, such as smart glasses and virtual reality headsets such as MetaQuest. Meta Quest is part of Meta’s broader ambition to dominate the virtual reality and mixed reality space.
“If Apple grants all of these requests, Meta could potentially have access to your entire device activity.” Apple warned in a report. “This could include reading your messages and emails, tracking your calls, monitoring your app usage, scanning your photos and files, checking your calendar events, logging your passwords, and more.”
Apple also cited Meta’s past privacy fines in Europe as evidence of concerns about Meta’s trustworthiness in handling user data.
Meta rejects Apple’s claims
Accordingly, Meta rejected Apple’s claims and accused the company of resisting interoperability. “What Apple is really saying is that they don’t believe in interoperability,” a Meta spokesperson said. “Every time Apple is accused of anti-competitive behavior, they defend themselves on privacy grounds that have no basis in reality.”
Meanwhile, the European Commission, which oversees the DMA, released preliminary findings on the matter late Wednesday. The committee is giving interested parties until January 9 to provide feedback on proposed measures to increase interoperability between Apple and its competitors.
The proposed measure would require Apple to provide detailed schedules and criteria for evaluating interoperability requests from app developers. Apple would also need to provide regular updates to developers and establish a fair mechanism to resolve technical disputes. Additionally, the European Commission is asking Apple to enable full interoperability of iOS notifications across devices such as the Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, as well as future connected Apple products.
