Apple Facing Antitrust Charges in Russian Federation

Apple is always facing serious troubles with the governing authorities for a long time. This time, the company is facing the official Antitrust charges in the Russian Federation with the official charges in the Russian Federation against the company for Antitrust complaints. The Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Russian Federation is investigating the complaints received. Kaspersky had filed the complaint against Apple when the company changed policy towards parenting control app. Kaspersky’s Safe Kids app affected by the policy changed by Apple, and that’s why the Russian software company filed the complaint in Federal Antimonopoly Services.

In 2017, Apple contacted Kaspersky to tell the company that Safe Kids app is violating the App Store policies. Kaspersky baffled when Apple suddenly reported the change in policies without any prior notice. The app is live on the App Store from three years before the notice to Kaspersky. The company is arguing that if the app is live on App Store from three years without any issues with the policy, why is Apple is now providing notice to remove the app or follow the policies. As Apple advised the company to remove configuration profiles, the same would render the app useless.

This was not an issue for the complainant, but when Apple did this notice drama, they launched a new feature, named Screen Time. Screen Time allows the users to monitor the time spent on the device and also allows them to block certain apps. Kaspersky claims that the feature is Parental Control app itself. With Apple preferring Screen Time over the third-party app of Kaspersky, the company accused Apple of monopolistic practices. When asked for a comment, Apple spokesperson said that the Kaspersky used Mobile Device Management” (MDM), which is an invasive technology.