Apple is under investigation by Russia's anti-monopoly watchdog following a complaint from cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab that the company is abusing its dominant position in smartphone apps, Reuters reports this morning.

app store iphones
Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) says it is investigating why a new version of Kaspersky Lab's Safe Kids application has not been updated on the iOS App Store, resulting in "a significant loss in functionality for the app."

Back in March, Apple pulled Kaspersky Safe Kids app from the ‌App Store‌, prompting Kaspersky to file an antitrust complaint against Apple with the FAS.

Safe Kids allowed parents to specify which apps kids can run based on the ‌App Store‌'s age restrictions and let them hide browsers on their device so that web pages could only be accessed in the Kaspersky Safe Kids app's built-in secure browser.

Apple said it removed the app because it didn't meet its ‌App Store‌ guidelines, but Kaspersky argued that the app had already been in the ‌App Store‌ for three years and was only pulled because Apple had just released iOS 12 with its own Screen Time feature, which offers similar parental control functions.

Kaspersky's dispute has parallels with an antitrust complaint brought against Apple by Spotify earlier this year.

Spotify filed a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the tech giant's ‌App Store‌ policy lets it act as "both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers."

Apple responded by calling the complaint "misleading rhetoric" and argued that "Spotify wants all the benefits of a free app without being free."

Apple is also under investigation by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to decide whether the company is abusing its position in the ‌App Store‌ by, for example, giving preferential treatment to its own apps. Apple has said it is "confident" the probe "will confirm all developers have an equal opportunity to succeed in the ‌App Store‌."

Tags: Russia, Kaspersky Lab

Top Rated Comments

Kabeyun Avatar
Kabeyun
48 months ago
Love it. Russia standing up for the rule of law. Up next, North Korea accuses western nations of being closed societies.

Note: kidding, people.

Edit: sort of.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gorms Avatar
Gorms
48 months ago
Kaspersky: A completely not dodgy company run out of a completely benign state. I'd certainly trust them to have elevated access to not only all my personal devices but also my families devices via a mechanism which can be abused. They definitely seem like the kind of guys that wouldn't deliver malware to my phone. Also, if anyone can be trusted to deal with this fairly it's definitely a Russian government watch dog.

Apple did the right thing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42202191
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3050464/hackers-can-abuse-the-ios-mobile-device-management-protocol-to-deliver-malware.html
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
venusboy Avatar
venusboy
48 months ago
Updating iOS with new features and then banning apps because they duplicate those same built-in features is clearly anti-competitive.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthogag Avatar
anthogag
48 months ago
Russia has an anti-monopoly watchdog? Is it also investigating Putin's communist mafia. Or maybe Putin is the watchdog.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bhlc Avatar
bhlc
48 months ago
Kaspersky: A completely not dodgy company run out of a completely benign state. I'd certainly trust them to have elevated access to not only all my personal devices but also my families devices via a mechanism which can be abused. They definitely seem like the kind of guys that wouldn't deliver malware to my phone. Also, if anyone can be trusted to deal with this fairly it's definitely a Russian government watch dog.

Apple did the right thing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42202191
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3050464/hackers-can-abuse-the-ios-mobile-device-management-protocol-to-deliver-malware.html
You are absolutely right. Trusting any Russian software, let alone one that has close ties to the Russian government would be a big mistake.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
H3LL5P4WN
48 months ago
Updating iOS with new features and then banning apps because they duplicate those same built-in features is clearly anti-competitive.
False.

Apple just came up with an excuse to ban the Ruskies' spyware.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Read Full Article • 198 comments
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday March 26, 2023 8:06 am PDT by
Following nearly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 is expected to be released to the public as soon as this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and...
Read Full Article
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Some Apple Employees Seriously Concerned About Mixed-Reality Headset as Announcement Draws Closer

Sunday March 26, 2023 8:25 am PDT by
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone...
Read Full Article • 579 comments
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Gurman: iOS 17 to Provide Several 'Most Requested Features'

Sunday March 26, 2023 6:05 am PDT by
Apple changed the strategy for iOS 17 later in its development process to add several new features, suggesting that the update may be more significant than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In January, Gurman said that iOS 17 could be a less significant update than iPhone updates in previous years due to the company's intense focus on its long-awaited mixed-reality...
Read Full Article • 259 comments
apple tv 4k red image

Apple Releases tvOS 16.4 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

Monday March 27, 2023 10:00 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3. The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌ by going to System > Software Update....
Read Full Article • 52 comments
Steve Jobs Theater dusk

Apple Reportedly Demoed Mixed-Reality Headset to Executives in the Steve Jobs Theater Last Week

Sunday March 26, 2023 5:53 am PDT by
Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of...
Read Full Article • 118 comments
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
Read Full Article • 123 comments
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
Read Full Article • 183 comments