In a recent Tech Policy Press publication, George Colville, an analyst at Open Markets Institute Europe, affirms that Apple and Google have been carrying out a “months-long” lobbying campaign against the Digital Markets Act (DMA)—pushing their “core argument” that “interoperability and data sharing are dangerous for consumers because they pose threats to their privacy and security.”
The expert believes, “Privacy and security are legitimate concerns, but tech giants appear to be taking advantage of this to defend their market power.”
By way of reminder, the author mentions, “Desktop operating systems, including Apple’s own macOS, have allowed users and developers to extend and modify system functionality for decades without resulting in the kind of systemic security breakdown Apple’s and Google’s lobbying implies will follow.” He went on to insist, “Closed systems are also not inherently more private or secure”. “Google’s and Apple’s mobile app stores have repeatedly been shown to admit malicious apps, including spyware and adware disguised as legitimate utilities. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities have also been identified on several occasions in Gemini,” he stresses. (Original version in French by Ana Pisonero Hernández)