Apple dictating countries’ contact-tracing app policies won’t help its EU anti-trust probe
https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2020/06/27/apple-dictating-countries-contact-tracing-app-policies-wont-help-its-eu-anti-trust-probe/
There’s a growing problem with Apple’s role in the contact-tracing apps that countries are developing to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. This has been underlined by the UK’s announcement that its long-awaited NHSx app is being parked in favor of a different model recommended by Apple and Google.
Apple is effectively dictating to governments the privacy levels that their contact-tracing apps must meet. Unless apps meet Apple’s requirements, they can’t get access to Bluetooth in the background on users’ phones, which is essential for the apps to work properly (Google takes a more laissez-faire approach, without these restrictions).