The war between Facebook and Apple could take a legal turn Social media giant called on law firm to prepare complaint accusing Apple of "anti-compet
The war between Facebook and Apple could take a legal turn
Social media giant called on law firm to prepare complaint accusing Apple of "anti-competitive practices"
Between the two giants of Silicon Valley, it's war . Facebook has been preparing for months a case to take legal action against Apple and its practices perceived as anti-competitive. The social media giant has called in a law firm to prepare a lawsuit that accuses Apple of "abusing its power in the smartphone market to force app developers to follow App Store rules that Apple's own apps don't have to keep up, ”according to an article published by The Information.
The business model of large digital platforms like Facebook and Google is based on free services and very fine-grained advertising targeting on a very large scale. The giant Apple derives its income from sales of electronic devices and also from online subscription services (storage, music, etc.).
More transparency at Apple
The latest update to Apple's iOS mobile operating system, scheduled for this year, will require app publishers to be transparent about the collection and use of users' personal information. They will also need to ask users for their permission to track them, an essential feature for ad targeting.
However, application developers, from social networks to video games, including e-commerce, entertainment or office automation, have no other choice but to go through the App Store, the download platform for iOS, to reach the hundreds of millions of consumers with iPhones and iPads.
Fewer targeted ads
"As we have said many times, we believe that Apple behaves in an anti-competitive way by using its control of the App Store to make more profit and at the expense of small publishers and small businesses," responded a spokesperson for Facebook, without confirming a possible complaint in preparation.
“Apple has every interest in using its position as a dominant platform to interfere with the way our apps and other apps work. And they do it regularly, focusing on theirs to the detriment of the growth of millions of companies around the world, ”took away Mark Zuckerberg, the head of the Californian group , during the presentation to analysts of the quarterly results the day before. The billionaire now sees his neighbor as one of his “biggest rivals”.
“The changes to iOS 14 mean that many SMBs will no longer be able to target their customers with personalized ads. Apple can say they are doing this to help people but it clearly serves their interests, ”added the billionaire, who now sees his neighbor as one of his“ biggest rivals ”.
A commission which can go up to 30% and which is difficult to pass
At a conference Thursday in Brussels on data privacy, Apple boss Tim Cook also attacked Facebook without naming him, condemning "algorithm-fueled conspiracy theories", according to reported comments by the American press. "We can no longer condone the theory that all online interactions are good, and the longer they last the better," he said. “If a company is founded on the ability to deceive users, on the exploitation of data, on non-choices, it does not deserve our praise. She deserves our contempt ”.
Facebook is not the only one to do battle with the apple brand . Several companies have criticized it for years for the commission it levies on consumer transactions made via the App Store, which can amount to 30%. Epic Games, the publisher of the popular Fortnite video game , has attempted to bypass iOS's payment system. Apple has banned the application from its devices until the summer of 2021, and a lawsuit is also underway.
COMMENTS