EU negotiators agree new rules to rein in tech giants

Are you suggesting that someone who wants to publish their latest Facebook post to their Twitter followers needs to export all their Facebook data, select just one specific post from the dumped data, and then import that dumped post into Twitter?

I mean, that's theoretically possible, but it's not the most convenient workflow, and you run the risk that any tooling designed to automate it is frequently broken by deliberately incompatible changes made by Facebook or Twitter (or whichever other services you are using, in the general case).

Fundamentally the data belongs to the users, not to the platforms, so it is right that governments mandate that the data be able to flow according to the users' wishes. All property rights are legal fictions, especially "intellectual property" rights, but at least in this case the property right being defined is a socially beneficial one.

I fail to understand how this is affecting you. Do you think that the existence of other App-Stores is reducing the quality of the apps in the Apple-Store?

Yes, I am declaring these things as facts based on my own experience with European startups – yours may vary. So far, the approach has been miles away from "spending huge capital" or "neurotically worrying", and much more "just following the regulations and getting on with it".

I also have experience from two start-up scale-ups that many clients are saying we won't work with you if you use a US Big Cloud

Yeah, I've not heard this from anyone – but if it's the case, it sounds like there's market pressure to use services that offer better protection of personal data. Sounds like you've found an opportunity to offer an EU-based cloud service that's better than the competition :)

Yes it will once it happens on iOS. Large companies like Facebook (not picking on Meta, just an easy example) really don’t want to follow Apple’s privacy guidelines, don’t want to ask users for permission to track their location, and don’t want to tell users what info they gather and how it’s used.

Once Apple has to allow third-party app stores, many major software companies will either create their own App Store (great now I have to download 15 different stores) or move to a third-party store where these rules are non-existent.

So what will happen is that there will be a major exodus of software from the Apple App Store and on to third-party stores, which for me means a rollback of all of the momentum and progress Apple has made by collectively bargaining on behalf of users against developers.

In addition, this will fracture things that are easy and convenient, like Apple Pay, or Sign-in With Apple being a privacy-focused mandatory alternative to other SSO options.

It’ll also long-term enable more dark patterns. Oh you signed up for this $14.99/month app? Well gotta call if you want to unsubscribe. Hell maybe even have to send a letter!

For some completely asinine reason people think that “allow third party stores” means “I get all the same stuff now but stuff will be cheaper and ‘more innovative’ because developers won’t have to pay the ‘Apple Tax’” but the reality is you’ll just get the same stuff, at the same prices, but it’ll be less convenient and you’ll lose any benefits that we previously had when Apple was able to collectively bargain for users. Companies will not lower prices.

> “This hasn’t happened on Android”

Yes. Because when companies start enacting these rules, users will flee to iOS. You need to be able to launch your store and dark patterns on both platforms simultaneously. Otherwise users have options.

> “I disagree, this won’t happen”.

Ok sure. What assurances do I have? What are you doing to make me feel better that my experience won’t get worse? Until then I’m firmly against third-party stores.

> “Apple enables oppression and a single point of failure for regulation - China for example can ‘control’ what’s on the store”

Any third-party App Store that’s not a complete scam will be forced to comply with any exact rules that Apple has to. There’s no difference.

This will lead to fragmentation where apps can only be bought in some app stores. Some will stay in the Apple app store, because people trust it. Others will flock to other stores to pay a lower commission fee.

Regardless, I am in favor of this legislation. The iOS and Android ecosystems have become crucial infrastructure in modern life. So either Apple and Google act more like they are a utilities companies with lower fees and a more fair, equal market [1] or they should be regulated.

Though I would have preferred if they EU had just set upper bounds for the commissions, etc. The result would have been less messy.

[1] No more private APIs that only they can use, etc.