Apple under antitrust probe for ‘Sign in with Apple’
26th February, 2021 at 6:55 pm by Yash
- The U.S Department of Justice has reportedly been examining complaints filed by developers against ‘Sign in with Apple’.
- ‘Sign in with Apple’ is a feature introduced in 2019 with iOS 13, which focused entirely on the privacy of the user’s data.
- Antitrust investigators are now conducting a probe against this feature, as well as many other App Store policies.
- Apple is also facing accusations from multiple countries for anti-competitive practices.
As reported by The Information (reliability: 85.71%) this Tuesday, The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly looking into complaints from developers over Apple's ‘Sign in with Apple’ feature as part of a bigger antitrust investigation.
With its introduction in iOS 13, ‘Sign in with Apple’ was marketed as a pro-privacy feature by Apple. It provides users with an alternative to creating an account with an app or website, and it does this by giving them the option to sign in with their Apple ID instead. This therefore eliminates the need to create a username or to share other personal information with developers.
It also provides options so users can choose either to share their Apple ID with the developers or keep it hidden. If the user chooses to hide their Apple ID from the developers, Apple creates a totally random, unique and an anonymous email address which is then shared with the developers instead of the Apple ID.
Right after its implementation, Apple started requiring apps with account sign in options to include ‘Sign in with Apple’ as well. The only exception to this requirement is for apps that exclusively use third-party accounts for authentication. Allegedly, this requirement from Apple made some developers unhappy, who thus filed antitrust complaints back last summer. Now, these complaints are being investigated by U.S. antitrust regulators, as reported by sources to The Information.
Antitrust investigators are now examining the functions of ‘Sign in With Apple,’ along with ‘other App Store policies which make it difficult for users to switch to a rival device maker.’ Interestingly, the body is also examining Apple's control over the App Store, the fees that it charges developers, and complaints on restrictions on location tracking and other forms of tracking that Apple's own apps are not subject to.
Two developers in the case said that they had removed all sign-in buttons from their apps because they didn’t want to include Apple’s sign-in option.
Representatives of two iPhone app developers that complained to DOJ investigators about Apple’s requirements told The Information that after Apple made its sign-in button mandatory, they removed all sign-in buttons from their app because they didn’t want to include Apple’s and potentially lose out on gaining information about their customers.
These developers told investigators that the Apple button cuts them off from their users and claimed that it was another method the company uses to entrench its control over its mobile devices.
Amongst all of this, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz declined to comment on the antitrust investigation when interrogated by The Information, and instead iterated that the ‘Sign in With Apple” feature is designed to ensure privacy of its customer’s data. The Department of Justice has not yet decided whether to bring the case against Apple, yet the first investigation was conducted in June 2020, following antitrust complaints from developers. The sources cite that the DOJ’s decision could take months or even years.
Alongside Apple, other tech giants Facebook and Google are also facing antitrust investigations. Lawsuits have already been filed against Google by the DOJ and against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.
While some members of Congress praise Apple for its privacy efforts, others believe that the company has been taking advantage of its control ‘to harm its competitors.’ Many developers also believe that even though ‘Sign in with Apple’ is a great feature, it further reinforces Apple’s power over developers, for better or worse.
Besides this report, Apple has also been facing certain accusations of anti-competitive practices in multiple countries such as European Union, Australia, Russia, Germany, and Italy. Investigations are still being carried out.
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