According to the EU Executive, the US company prevents other developers from accessing the NFC inputs on their phones, so users opt for its application, Apple Pay.
Euskaraz irakurri: Europako Batzordeak lehia murriztea egotzi dio Appleri kontakturik gabeko ordainketa system
The European Commission has formally accused Manzana from abuse of dominant position for limiting the possibilities for contactless payment to NFC wireless technology, which in practice means restrict competition in favor of its Apple Pay payment servicesince other developers don’t have access to that system.
“We are concerned that Apple has illegally altered competition,” said the vice president of the European Commission, responsible for Competition, Margrethe Vestagerfollowing a preliminary investigation that began in June 2020.
The Community Executive does not see favorably that the company prevents developers of contactless payment applications from accessing NFC entries on brand devices, so users must opt for Apple Pay.
The ‘Tap to Pay’ contactless payment system is a service with which users can use an iPhone as a payment terminal in their businesses and with which customers can use their iPhone to pay by simply bringing their mobile device closer.
Apple defends the need for these restrictions by safety reasons regarding the access of user data, but Vestager has warned that the European Commission “takes security very seriously”, but in its preliminary investigation it has not found “any evidence that points to such a risk”.
In a press conference, Vestager has accused the company of creating a “closed ecosystem” for its operating system, of which “it controls its doors by setting the rules of the game” for any other competitor that tries to reach Apple device users. If confirmed, “such a practice would be illegal in competition matters.”
The Community Executive fears that with these restrictions there will be exclusion effects for its competitors, innovation will be weakened and consumer choice will be restricted when it comes to payment via iPhone mobiles.
At this stage of the investigation, Appe now has access to the documentation and will be able to respond in writing to the allegations.
Source: Eitb
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
