Italy Investigates Apple Over iCloud Monopoly Concerns
Quick Look
- Italy's digital authority is investigating Apple for potential violations of the EU's Digital Markets Act regarding its iCloud service.
- The AGCM alleges Apple denies third-party cloud providers the same system access as its own iCloud on iOS and iPadOS.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Italy's digital authority is investigating Apple for potential violations of the EU's Digital Markets Act concerning its iCloud service. The probe focuses on whether Apple grants third-party cloud operators the same access to its operating systems as its own iCloud.
Italy is investigating Apple over potential monopoly issues under the EU's Digital Markets Act, this time with its iCloud service, Reuters reported. The nation's digital authority, AGCM, accused the company of not granting third-party cloud storage operators the same access to its iOS and iPadOS operating systems as its own iCloud service, as is legally required. Once its probe is complete, Italy will send its findings to the EU Commission for enforcement, which could result in fines or other measures.
The AGCM authority said it had proof that third-party consumer cloud services, presumably like Google's Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, did not enjoy the same access as iCloud to certain Apple services or features. "For example, it appears that Apple does not allow alternative cloud storage services to use the iOS and iPadOS features enabling end users to perform a full backup of their devices' data, while those same features are available to Apple's iCloud," the regulator wrote.
Open Questions
- Will Apple comply with regulatory demands?
- What specific penalties could Italy impose?
- Will other EU nations launch similar probes?
