Apple’s New Site Addresses Antitrust Concerns

Apple has debuted a new website to quell antitrust concerns, amid calls for the tech giant to be broken up, according to a report by CNBC.

Apple lost a Supreme Court case recently about competition on the App Store, but Apple’s site says the App Store is open to competition.

“We created the App Store with two goals in mind: that it be a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps, and a great business opportunity for all developers,” the website said. “We take responsibility for ensuring that apps are held to a high standard for privacy, security and content, because nothing is more important than maintaining the trust of our users.”

Some developers have said apps that involve too much on-screen time have been removed because they compete directly with Screen Time, a new feature recently introduced for iPhones that serves a similar purpose. There is a pending EU antitrust complaint about that particular issue.

Apple said the removals were based on security and privacy, and that the developers were using Apple software for purposes other than those intended.

“All developers have the opportunity to have a rejection reviewed by the App Review Board. And the App Review team makes about 1,000 calls a week to developers to help them diagnose and resolve any issues that led to rejection, so they can get their app onto the App Store,” the company said on the site.

Developers have also been vocal about the fees Apple collects through the App Store, which generally run from 15 to 30 percent. “Like any fair marketplace, developers decide what they want to charge from a set of price tiers. We only collect a commission from developers when a digital good or service is delivered through an app,” Apple said on the website.