Apple Claims Sideloading Would 'Cripple' Privacy and Security of iPhone

Apple has published a threat analysis of sideloading entitled, 'Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps'. Unsurprisingly, the company says that sideloading would 'cripple' the privacy and security of iPhone.

Sideloading is the ability for users to install iPhone applications of their choosing via methods other than the App Store.

Apple's analysis claims that:


Supporting sideloading through direct downloads and third-party app stores would cripple the privacy and security protections that have made iPhone so secure, and expose users to serious security risks.

Notably, Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission, recently warned Apple against using privacy and security concerns to excuse anti-competitive behavior. Last year, Vestager proposed the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that would force Apple to allow users to install applications downloaded from the internet or third party app stores.

Apple asserts that "supporting sideloading on iOS devices would essentially turn them into 'pocket PCs,' returning to the days of virus-riddled PCs". This statement is particularly disingenuous given that the company markets macOS, which supports "sideloading", as an alternative to "virus-riddled PCs".

You can read the full document at the link below...


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