Proton Joins Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple's App Store Practices (theregister.com)
(Tuesday July 01, 2025 @11:20AM (msmash)
from the escalating-matters dept.)
- Reference: 0178242204
- News link: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/25/07/01/0917211/proton-joins-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apples-app-store-practices
- Source link: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/01/proton_lawsuit_apple/
Encrypted communications provider Proton has [1]joined an antitrust lawsuit against Apple , filing a legal complaint that claims the company's App Store practices harm developers, consumers, and privacy. The Switzerland-based firm joined a group of Korean developers who sued Apple in May rather than filing a separate case.
Proton asked the US District Court for Northern California to require Apple to allow alternative app stores, expose those stores through its own App Store, permit developers to disable Apple's in-app payment system, and provide full access to Apple APIs. The company added a privacy-focused argument to typical antitrust complaints, contending that Apple's pricing model particularly penalizes companies that refuse to harvest user data. Developers of free apps typically sell user data to cover costs, while privacy-focused companies like Proton must charge subscriptions for revenue, making Apple's commission cuts more burdensome.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/01/proton_lawsuit_apple/
Proton asked the US District Court for Northern California to require Apple to allow alternative app stores, expose those stores through its own App Store, permit developers to disable Apple's in-app payment system, and provide full access to Apple APIs. The company added a privacy-focused argument to typical antitrust complaints, contending that Apple's pricing model particularly penalizes companies that refuse to harvest user data. Developers of free apps typically sell user data to cover costs, while privacy-focused companies like Proton must charge subscriptions for revenue, making Apple's commission cuts more burdensome.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/01/proton_lawsuit_apple/
Hypocrites (Score:1)
They want to allow "choice" to use THEIR payment system, but also the ability to DISABLE Apple's payment system, thereby disabling the same choice for consumers who want to use it.
Fucking hypocrites!