Make way for another antitrust investigation into big tech. Step forward Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), which has opened an official probe of Apple — following a complaint lodged in March by security company Kaspersky Labs.
Kaspersky's complaint to FAS followed a change in Apple's policy towards a parental control app it offers, called Kaspersky Safe Kids. Discussing the complaint in a blog post the security firm says Apple contacted it in 2017 to inform it that the use of configuration profiles is against App Store policy, even though the app had been on Apple's store for nearly three years without it raising any objections.
Apple told Kaspersky to remove configuration profiles from the app — which it says would require it to remove two key features that makes it useful to parents: Namely, app control and Safari browser blocking.
It also points out that the timing of Apple's objection followed Apple announcing its Screen Time feature, in iOS 12 — which allows iOS users to monitor the amount of time they spend using certain apps or on certain websites and set time restrictions. Kaspersky argues Screen Time is "essentially Apple's own app for parental control" — hence raising concerns about the potential for Apple to exert unfair market power over the store it also operates by restricting competition.
We've reached out to Apple for comment on the FAS investigation. The company referred Reuters to a statement it made in April about its policy towards parental control apps, following other complaints.
In the statement Apple says it removed several such apps from the App Store because they "put users' privacy and security at risk" — calling out the use of what it described as "a highly invasive technology called Mobile Device Management" (MDM).
But Kaspersky claims its app does not, and never did, use MDM.
Also at CNet
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @04:05PM (18 children)
I install all my apps from .ipa files directly. It's so much easier than begging permission to be allowed to install preapproved apps from some walled garden.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday August 11 2019, @04:46PM (17 children)
Mod me offtopic, but that's the one fucking thing I hate about the Android app store. I prefer older models of phones, so when I want to download the Lyft app for example, it tells me that the app is not compatible with my model of phone. So I have to get the APK somewhere else and vet it for malware. Why not just have the older fucking version of the app that does work with my phone, in the app store?! Versioning has been a solved fucking problem in computer science for decades.
No fuck you Google, and fuck you phone makers. I'm not going to shell out 600 bucks for your latest piece of shit with bad batteries that I can't replace without destroying the rest of the phone, and I'm not going to shell out 600 bucks for your buggy shit-firmware coded by third-world filth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @04:57PM (3 children)
Keep up with the latest, or big tech doesn't want you as a consumer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @05:39PM (1 child)
FTFY... Buy the more expensive latest model, or big tech doesn't want you as a consumer.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @05:44PM
Install the newest app that sends your data to the latest advertising partners, or big tech doesn't want you as a consumer.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday August 12 2019, @03:02AM
'Cause, you see, you still gonna pay for that new shit of a phone, which makes you a customer (even if an unwilling one).
If you just keep using your old... why do you hate capitalism?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @05:48PM (8 children)
I've met some of these people you speak ill of and must say that I much prefer them over you; bugs and all.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @05:52PM
How much did you pay to catch STDs from them?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @05:56PM (6 children)
Shit, like water, seeks it's own level. EF has met some of those people, but he met those people like himself.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @07:00PM (5 children)
Yep.
How to steal a city: Montes v. City of Yakima - https://www.aclu-wa.org/cases/montes-v-city-yakima-0 [aclu-wa.org]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday August 11 2019, @07:03PM (4 children)
Why spam this link but provide no commentary as to why we should care?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday August 11 2019, @09:44PM (2 children)
It looks like the site has been invaded by a bunch of (or maybe just one) troll idiot.
I have seen several "JEWS" type idiot rambling in the previous couple of discussions.
I hope we don't wind up with pages and pages of moron spam, like other sites I could mention.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 12 2019, @01:05AM (1 child)
Wait a bit and Elon Musk will.invent a spam filter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 12 2019, @04:09PM
4/5 Australians hate him!!!
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday August 12 2019, @02:37PM
Speculating, because it gets more hits that way? At least initially before recognizing it and downmodding it as offtopic for the spamlink, no matter how relevant an above comment might be...
This sig for rent.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2019, @08:01PM (2 children)
I stopped reading your comment at the last sentence because I got the point and was just pleasantly surprised at the lack of racist vitriol. Then I read the replies. Not surprised that you have to include some racism every time you're angry. Or happy, sad, hell pretty much any emotional level you have seems to be tied back into hating others.
I think the typesetter fucked up making all those red hats, the G was supposed to be an H!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday August 12 2019, @03:09AM (1 child)
I don't get it.
Did you mean something like:
???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 12 2019, @04:24PM
MAHA - make america hate again
(Score: 2) by legont on Monday August 12 2019, @03:13AM
Yep. In addition, if I bought an app, the suckers who sold it to me have to provide security bugs fixes for the life of my device, which is forever, or pay for my loses.
Nice thought, but it will never happen. The whole model of western capitalism is based on moving liability from business to consumer.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.