(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. is withholding a range of new technologies from hundreds of millions of consumers in the European Union, citing concerns about EU efforts to clamp down on big tech companies.
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The company said on Friday it would block the release of Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing to EU users this year because the Digital Markets Act allegedly makes its products and services less secure.
“We are concerned that the DMA's interoperability requirements could compromise the integrity of our products in ways that put users' privacy and data security at risk,” Apple said in a statement.
The EU's DMA requires big tech platforms to adhere to a long list of dos and don'ts: Tech services are prohibited from giving themselves preferential treatment over rivals, they can't combine personal data across different services, they can't use data collected from third-party sellers to compete against rivals, and they must allow users to download apps from rival platforms.
In response to Apple's plans, the European Commission said: “Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe as long as they comply with our rules, which are designed to ensure fair competition.”
Apple Intelligence was the centerpiece of a recent announcement at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference, which also saw updates to the iPhone maker's operating system. The technology helps summarize text, create custom images, and get the most relevant data when you need it. The effort also includes an improved version of Siri, the once pioneering digital assistant.
Apple's decision to halt the rollout of the new features in the EU means that consumers in the 27 EU member states, including France, Germany, Spain and Italy, will not have access to the company's ambitious new foray into artificial intelligence technology for now. The software is set to launch in other regions this fall and will only work on a select number of Apple devices and only in American English.
Other features that are apparently not offered include iPhone mirroring and SharePlay screen sharing.
iPhone Mirroring lets you use and fully control your device virtually on your Mac display, while SharePlay Screen Sharing lets you share your screen from your iPad or iPhone to another device, allowing you to remotely control the other device and get tech support.
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Apple executives are already at odds with the EU over the latest effort to curb market abuses by big tech companies. The company, along with Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Meta Platforms, is under investigation for allegedly flouting another central pillar of EU tech regulation, the Digital Markets Act.
As part of the investigation, Apple is expected to receive a formal warning from EU regulators as early as Monday over its alleged blocking of apps that direct users to cheaper subscription plans on the web – a practice that already earned the company a 1.8 billion euro ($1.9 billion) fine by Brussels regulators earlier this year under traditional antitrust law.
(Updated with background)
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