US government discusses new bill to support iPhone sideloading

News on the morning of May 27: In the past two years, there has been a wave of "anti-monopoly" in the technology industry, and whether Apple's iOS ecosystem should support side loading (installing software through third-party channels) has become one of the focuses of the debate.

Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced a revised version of the American Choice and Innovation Act last night as the administration continues its efforts to enact legislation targeting major tech companies and requiring iPhones to support sideloading.

In response, Apple provided a statement to foreign media MacRumors.

We created iPhone and the App Store to be a safe and secure place for customers to download the apps they love, and to provide great business opportunities for developers around the world. The result is an unprecedented economic growth engine that fosters competition and innovation, and enables any developer with a good idea to reach Apple customers around the world.

We remain concerned that this legislation has the potential to break that pattern and undermine the privacy and security protections our users rely on. Governments and international bodies around the world have explicitly advised against sideloading, which would enable bad actors who want to target users (including children) with malware and scams, and make it easier for companies that sell their data to track them without their consent. Ultimately, the changes made to the bill are a recognition that the legislation, as originally drafted, created unintended privacy and security gaps for users. We believe the proposed remedies fall far short of the protections consumers need and urge lawmakers to make further changes to avoid these unintended consequences.

Foreign media POLITICO reported this morning that some Senate Democrats are opposing the bill, but Democratic leaders are aiming to vote on it before this summer. Democratic senators reportedly expressed "deep reservations" about voting on the bill in its current form because it could be too controversial for an election year.

The revised bill aims to address some of the concerns raised by senators about the sweeping tech industry changes the legislation would introduce, but Apple insists the changes don't go far enough. The company said the tweaks prove the original legislation would create "unintended privacy and security vulnerabilities" for users and that lawmakers need to make further changes to protect user privacy.

According to the wording of the bill, apps will be able to be installed on iPhones without the App Store, which will make iOS more similar to the Android platform. Companies like Facebook have the potential to break through privacy protections on iPhones through sideloading and are not subject to Apple's ban on tracking. The bill targets American technology companies including Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, but there are no restrictions on non-US companies such as Samsung, Oppo, Vivo and other smartphone manufacturers that compete with Apple, which may also be problematic in the future.

Apple has previously said that enabling sideloading would lead to a raft of new attacks against iPhone users from attackers eager to access sensitive data stored on consumer devices. Scammers would be able to "completely circumvent Apple's privacy and security protections" and the bill would allow "malware, scams, and data exploits to proliferate."

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in November that consumers who want to sideload apps should use an Android phone instead of an iPhone. "If this is important to you, then you should buy an Android phone," he said in an interview. "From our perspective, (sideloading) is like me being a car manufacturer and telling customers that they don't need air bags and seat belts in their cars."