Open Web Advocacy: Apple still brakes external browser engine

The NGO Open Web Advocacy (OWA), which according to its own information is committed to a free World Wide Web, has accused Apple of undermining the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). There is still a factual ban on alternative browser engine in Europe, it says in one paper The Owa. Accordingly, it is almost impossible to use other bowser basic systems under iOS instead of webkit. In fact, none of the major providers such as Google (Chrome) or Mozilla (Firefox) have done this.

“As painful as possible”

During a workshop organized by the EU to the DMA, in which industrial representatives and NGOs took part, Apple stated that the group did not know why no browser provider had ported its engine to iOS in the past 15 months. Owa knows the answer according to its own information: Apple does it “as painful as possible” for browser providers under iOS. According to the NGO, these are based on “vague security and data protection reasons”, for which Apple “has not published a technical justification” that evidence or proportionality.

Apple stated at the DMA workshop that the browser manufacturers had “everything they need” to implement their own browser engine in the EU. You would only have decided against it. According to Owa, however, Apple “knows exactly where the problems are”. However, the group refuses to fix them. It is “just ridiculous” that Apple claims ignorance – and demonstrably wrong.

Concrete criticisms of Apple

OWA sees at least four problematic points in Apple’s current implementation of the DMA in terms of the alternative browser engine. The group calls on the manufacturers to submit completely new apps. However, according to the OWA, they lose the previous users in the EU. Furthermore, there is obviously no way for web developers to test their software outside of the EU with a third-party browser-Eninges under iOS. (Apple promised “updates” here.)

After all, EU users can no longer update browsers with their own engine if they leave the EU for more than 30 days, and Apple had “hard, unilateral contractual terms” for companies who want to use their own browser engine. According to OWA, the latter contradicts the requirements of the DMA that API access restrictions only know about important security measures. However, Apple has now resolved two points of criticism: browser manufacturers can test their own alternative engines outside the EU (for example from the USA) and it is now possible to use two engines in the browser, i.e. both web kit and their own. Webkit becomes a fallback.