Need to increase third-party application distribution channels for iPhone? Apple said “NO” today

IT House reported on June 23 that Apple today updated the white paper of the App Store privacy policy, which focused on the issue of iPhone “side loading”. The so-called “side-loading” means installing application software on the iPhone not through the App Store, but through a third-party channel, just like an Android phone. In this white paper titled “Building a Trusted Application Ecosystem for Millions of Apps-The Important Role of the App Store in Security Protection”, Apple stated, “There are currently nearly 2 million applications on the App Store. Thousands of new applications were added every week. Given the sheer size of the App Store platform, we have attached great importance to ensuring the security of the iPhone from the beginning.” Then Apple said: “Many people suggest that we should provide developers with an application distribution channel outside of the App Store, such as through a website or a third-party application store. This process is called’side loading’.” Apple said that allowing sideloading will reduce the security of the iOS platform and expose users to serious security risks. “There are a lot of discussions about iPhone sideloading, but they tend to focus on the market or vendors or developers and forget about users.” The company said. IT House has reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the “Digital Market Act” (DMA) proposed by EU antitrust leader Margrethe Vestager on June 17. He is worried that this proposed bill will cause more apps not to be installed through Apple’s App Store, which will undermine the security of the iPhone, and will also affect Apple’s recent series of measures for App Store privacy protection, including Privacy labels, app tracking transparency, etc. In the white paper, Apple talked about how the App Store conducts App security review, which mainly includes four key processes: The first is automated software scanning. Through this scanning technology, it can be ensured that no known malware enters the App Store; The second is to conduct a detailed review of the description and functions of the App through manual review, which can block some common malware tricks; Third, these review experts will also review application security through manual experiential inspections to ensure that applications will not secretly access users’ sensitive data, and they will also deliberately evaluate some children-oriented or child-oriented applications. Such applications are generally The safety standards are more stringent, and the audit experts will verify whether they meet this stringent safety standard; Fourth, there will be a program for App review in the App Store. The App Store itself also provides a mechanism to correct privacy and security protection issues to facilitate communication between Apple and developers, solve problems, or remove related malicious programs, or even Refund the user, etc. And if the application is allowed to be sideloaded, it will damage the iPhone’s security mechanism. Apple listed the possible harms of sideloading, including creating an environment that is less safe for child users, excessive tracking of children’s activities, etc., as well as the proliferation of malware, especially ransomware. Brand new ways to infect users through sideloading, they will also bring greater risks to the App Store, because attackers will focus more on locking the iPhone. In addition, sideloading of applications will also cause fraud and piracy to become more rampant, and Apple will have no mechanism to counteract it by then. Apple claims that the privacy protection practices have become lax in the past few years because side-loaded applications can skip privacy tags, track users without obtaining consent, and even conduct malicious activities such as fraud against users’ habits. If the situation arises, it is difficult to restrict it.