Apple and Dutch Regulators Clash

Apple is  making a stink over a Dutch regulator’s effort to change its app store. Last year, the Dutch equivalent of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission became one of the first regulators in the world  to require Apple to give people multiple payment options for using dating apps on their phones. 

It was a tiny crack in the absolute control Apple has asserted over iPhone apps since 2008.

This has now become a standoff between the world’s most valuable company and Dutch bureaucrats. 

Apple has proposed a workaround, but the regulator calls Apple’s attitude “regrettable” and has issued weekly fines totaling 25 million euros. 

Apple says that iPhone owners’ security and convenience would be compromised if it allowed this, but also says that the company is complying with its legal obligations.

- CyberBeat