Phil Schiller presents Apple's arguments for suppressing time monitoring applications on the screen

Earlier today, a report from The New York Times pointed out the removal by Apple of a number of applications from the App Store that allowed users to monitor the use of their devices or those of their children. The report suggests that Apple's decision to extract applications is related to the establishment of its own Screen Time feature in iOS 12, which rivals in some respects with these applications, raising concerns about behavior anticompetitive.

Over the last year, Apple has removed or restricted at least 11 of the 17 most-frequently-downloaded parental control and screen time apps, according to an analysis by The New York Times and Sensor Tower, a company specializing in the application data. Apple has also cracked down on a number of lesser known apps.

In some cases, Apple has forced companies to remove features that allow parents to control their kids' devices or block children's access to certain apps and adult-only content. In other cases, he simply extracted the applications from his Application Store.

The report cites several developers whose apps have been removed, including one that says the removal is done "unexpectedly, without warning." Apple faces several complaints related to moves. Two developers have lodged a complaint with the European Union Competition Bureau and the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, which has filed an antitrust complaint in that country.

The New York Times shared a brief statement from an Apple spokesperson, claiming that Apple deals with "all applications in the same way", including those that compete with Apple's own features like Screen Time . The spokeswoman said the applications concerned "could get too much information from users' devices".

After reading the article, MacRumeurs Reader Zachary Robinson e-mailed Tim Cook to express his concern. Earlier in the day, Phil Schiller told him that his removal of these applications by Apple was due to the use of Mobile Device Management (MDM) technology to monitor everything that was going on. the phone of the user.

Schiller notes that MDM technology is intended for enterprise users to install on company-owned devices, which allows them to easily access these devices and control them for management purposes. The third-party use of MDM technology by third-party developers for screen time monitoring or parental controls, however, raises significant privacy and security issues, and Apple has decided to address these issues.

Schiller's complete e-mail, which seems to be authentic based on our review of the headers included:

Thank you for being a fan of Apple and your email.

I want to assure you that the Application Store The team acted in an extremely responsible way, helping to protect our children from technologies that could be used to violate their privacy and security. After reading some facts, I hope you agree.

Unfortunately, the New York Times article you refer to does not share our full statement and does not explain the risks to children if Apple had not acted on their behalf. Apple has long supported the supply of applications on the Application Store, which work as our ScreenTime feature, to help parents manage their children's access to technology and we will continue to encourage the development of these apps. There are many applications for parents on the Application Storesuch as Moment Health's Moment – Balance Screen Time and Verizon Wireless's Verizon Smart Family.

However, over the past year, we have learned that some parenting applications use a technology called Mobile Device Management (MDM) and install an MDM profile as a method to limit and control the use of these devices. MDM is a technology that allows a party to access and control many devices. It was intended to be used by a company on its own mobile devices as a management tool. This company has the right to access all the data and the use of the devices. MDM technology is not about allowing developers to access and control consumer data and devices, but the apps we removed from the store did just that. No one, except you, should have unlimited access to manage your child's device, know their location, track their usage, control their email accounts, surf the Internet, use it with a camera, network access, and even erase its devices remotely. In addition, security research has shown that MDM profiles could be used as a technology against computer attacks by helping them install applications for malicious purposes on users' devices.

When the Application Store The team investigated the use of MDM technology by some application developers for the management of children's devices and understood the risk they pose to the privacy and security of users. We asked them to stop using MDM technology in their applications. Protecting the privacy and security of users is paramount in the Apple ecosystem and we have Application Store guidelines prohibiting applications that could pose a threat to the safety and confidentiality of consumers. We will continue to provide features, such as ScreenTime, designed to help parents manage their children's access to technology, and we will work with developers to deliver many quality apps on the web. Application Store for these uses, using safe and private technologies for us and our children.

Thank you,

Phil

Apple's dedication to privacy and security is well known. It is therefore not surprising that the company has taken steps to address concerns about how these applications monitor device usage. However, for some users who preferred the features of these apps, such as cross-platform compatibility with Android devices from their homes and more robust controls, Apple's Screen Time feature is a bit behind.