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Apple is facing intensified legal pressure in the United States, as Proton, the Swiss provider of encrypted communications services, has joined a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of stifling competition and undermining consumer privacy.
The legal action, filed with the US District Court for Northern California, claims Apple exploits its dominance over iOS and the App Store, creating an uneven playing field for developers and limiting consumer choice.
We obtained a copy of the filing for you here.
In a statement shared through its blog, Proton asserted, “We believe that Apple’s conduct, as detailed in the complaint we filed, constitutes further violations of US antitrust law.”
The company warned that unless the courts intervene, Apple could continue practices in the US that have already been curtailed in Europe, leading to “higher prices for fewer choices” for American users and app makers.
Proton is urging the court to compel Apple to open iOS to alternative app stores, provide visibility to these stores within the App Store, let developers disable Apple’s in-app payment system, and grant full access to Apple’s APIs.
The aim, according to Proton’s filing, is to ensure fairer conditions that would allow developers to reach customers directly without Apple’s restrictive gatekeeping.
The antitrust challenges Apple now faces in the US mirror its regulatory struggles in Europe, where authorities have required the company to permit third-party app stores for iOS. This shift has been driven by concerns that Apple’s control over app distribution and payments disadvantages both consumers and competitors.
Proton’s complaint echoes themes seen in earlier legal fights, such as Epic Games’ 2020 case against Apple.
Though Apple largely prevailed in that instance, it was ordered to allow developers to notify users about alternative payment options; a ruling that remains under scrutiny, with a judge recently questioning Apple’s compliance.
Beyond antitrust issues, Proton’s filing brings a privacy dimension to the argument.
The Swiss firm also pointed to its own experience in 2020, when Apple initially blocked an update to Proton’s VPN app after the company highlighted its ability to “unblock censored web sites.”
Although Apple eventually approved the update, Proton argues the incident exemplifies how Apple prioritizes profit over privacy.
The blog post added, “We don’t question Apple’s right to act on behalf of authoritarians for the sake of profit, but Apple’s monopoly over iOS app distribution means it can enforce this perverse policy on all app developers, forcing them to also be complicit.”
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The post Apple Hit with New Antitrust Lawsuit by Proton Over iOS Monopoly appeared first on Reclaim The Net.
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Author: Rick Findlay
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