AirDrop and AirPlay are the latest Apple technologies the European Union wants to make more interoperable. This would give third-party developers, including rival handset makers, access to the tech.
But Apple is pushing back hard. Apple has made the jaw-dropping claim that opening up AirDrop and AirPlay would allow companies like Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) to read all your emails, messages, photos and even passwords!
EU proposes opening AirDrop and AirPlay to Apple rivals
The purpose of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act is to open up Big Tech to more competition. So far, it’s required direct downloading of apps to iPhones, allowed users to replace default iOS apps, and made other changes… but mostly only for residents of the EU.
And the latest salvo from the EU Commission came Thursday: a proposal that “Apple shall provide effective interoperability with the AirDrop feature,” along with a similar statement for AirPlay and related wireless technologies.
AirDrop allows iPhone, iPad etc. to wirelessly exchange files directly from device to device, while AirPlay allows Apple computers to easily stream video to compatible TVs and set-top boxes. Both systems are currently proprietary, which means that Android users are completely excluded. The EU’s proposal would change that.
Apple warns of privacy risks
Even before the DMA became EU law, Apple started warning that its efforts will open iPhone and Mac users to privacy violations. And the company released a white paper on Thursday claiming that Meta and others are already abusing changes required by the DMA.
“We are now seeing concrete examples of how a new approach to interoperability in the EU would put users at risk, requiring them to open their devices — and their most sensitive data — to companies with a track record of violating their privacy,” said the iPhone-maker.
According to Apple, if the EU were to grant all of Meta’s open-access requests, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp would all get access to the following jaw-dropping list:
- All the user’s messages and emails
- Every phone call made or received
- Track every app used
- Scan all photos
- Access to files and calendar events
- Log all of their passwords
- And more!
“The end result could be that companies like Meta -— which has been fined by regulators time and again for privacy violations —- gains unfettered access to users’ devices and their most personal data,” the company said in the white paper. “If Apple is forced to allow access to sensitive technologies that it has no ability to protect, the security risks would be substantial and virtually impossible to mitigate.”
Apple’s effort seems to have two goals: convince EU voters to urge their legislators to reverse the changes made by the DMA, while also persuading lawmakers in the United States and other countries not to follow in the EU’s footsteps.
At this stage, nothing is finalized. The EU Commission noted in its statement that, “These measures are preliminary and might be adjusted subject to feedback from third parties and Apple as well as further investigative steps.”
