Italian competition regulator opens investigation against Apple over iCloud
Apple has already had several conflicts with the European Union over competition rules, and now yet another investigation is looming. The Italian competition authority has opened an inquiry into whether Apple is giving its own cloud service, iCloud, an unfair advantage over competing cloud storage services. The findings will also be forwarded to the European Commission.
Apple is facing investigations and lawsuits around the world concerning anti-competitive behaviour. In recent years, the company has paid billions of dollars in fines for violating various competition laws.
According to a report by Reuters, the Italian regulator is examining whether Apple is complying with the obligations laid down in the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The rules stipulate that Apple must allow external providers of cloud storage services to interoperate effectively and free of charge with iOS and iPadOS, and must grant these providers the same access to hardware and software components as the access given to iCloud.
The Italian authority states that it has indications that competing cloud services are not receiving the same access as iCloud. As a result, they would find themselves in a disadvantaged competitive position.
For example, Apple has not yet made certain Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27 available in EU countries. According to Apple, the measures proposed by the EU, which would give third parties comparable access to iPhone functionalities as Siri, would pose risks to privacy and security.
Apple generally opts for a hard-line approach when faced with such accusations. The company rarely admits fault and has, in some cases, indicated that it would rather withdraw certain services wholly or partly from markets than comply with regulators’ demands.
If the Italian authority concludes that Apple is violating the DMA, the European Commission may decide to take formal action. This could ultimately lead to fines or obligations for Apple to open up iOS and iPadOS further to competing cloud providers.
In an official statement, Apple said it has worked “diligently and in good faith to meet its obligations under the DMA, and this new concern related to iCloud has never been raised in our extensive discussions with the European Commission on interoperability.”
It added: “We look forward to engaging with the Italian Authority to discuss and address their concerns in detail.”
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