Apple has just sent a letter to US lawmakers opposing the bill allowing users to download sideloading apps and warned of the risks
Currently, the US Congress is considering a new bill that targets two app stores of Apple and Alphabet, the App Store and Google Play Store respectively. Under the bill, companies must allow users to download apps to their devices without going through an app market (ie sideloading apps) in the hope of opening up the market.
Opposing this, Apple sent a letter to key members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3. At the same time, the apple family also warned that doing so would lead to many security risks, while the company always strives to strictly control applications on the App Store to keep users safe.
According to Apple, most malware does not rely on technical tricks to gain access to a device but instead tricks the user into downloading it. As a result, Apple’s scrutiny of apps submitted to the App Store “creates a major barrier against the most common tactics used by bad actors to plant malware.”
Regarding zero-click attacks like Pegasus’s NSO Group security controls smartphones, these types of attacks are not. is a “rare threat”.
According to Reuters, the letter was sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and many other key figures. This committee voted in early February to pass the bill. Notably, the bill also includes provisions that prohibit companies from requiring app providers to use their payment systems; also prohibits sanctions from apps that offer different rates or conditions through an app store or other payment system.
The bill is seen as a US measure against “big techs” who abuse their overwhelming market power. Not only Apple and Google, many technologies such as Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram ) or TikTok have also “fallen into the sights” of US authorities. However, in reality, out of a long list of proposed bills, none of them became law.