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Kaspersky Lab Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple Over App Store Policy (macrumors.com)

Posted by msmash on from the see-you-in-court dept.

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service relating to the company's App Store distribution policy. From a report: Kaspersky's complaint is specifically to do with Apple's removal of the Kaspersky Safe Kids app. In a blog post on the Kaspersky website, the firm says it received notice from Apple last year that the app, which had been in the App Store for three years, did not meet App Store guidelines owing to the use of configuration profiles. Kaspersky was told by Apple that it would need to remove these profiles for the app to pass review and remain in the App Store, but the Russian firm had argued this action essentially crippled the app. "For us, that would mean removing two key features from Kaspersky Safe Kids: app control and Safari browser blocking." The first allows parents to specify which apps kids can't run based on the App Store's age restrictions, while the second allows the hiding of all browsers on the device so that web pages can only be accessed in the Kaspersky Safe Kids app's built-in secure browser.

2 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. Re:take them down! by bob4u2c · · Score: 2, Informative

    Pretty sure they won't win. It is Apple's garden, you want in you do what they want. They reserve the right to kick you out at any time for any reason, including no reason at all.

  2. Re:This is why some devs avoid App Store by Anubis+IV · · Score: 3, Informative

    While the story of BBEdit is an interesting one, you seem to be unaware that Apple announced from the stage at WWDC last year that BBEdit would be returning to the Mac App Store.

    Also worth pointing out: BBEdit was pulled from the Mac App Store, not the (iOS) App Store, whereas Kaspersky is complaining about (iOS) App Store stuff. The difference matters. With the Mac App Store, the vast majority of apps are available outside that storefront and macOS’ default behavior allows apps outside the store to run without problem. Not so in iOS, where users have no realistic choice for circumventing any seemingly capricious or onerous requirements Apple enacts that might hamstring developers.