Apple closes all stores in France for COVID lockdown
Apple is closing its Apple Stores in France as the country enters its third coronavirus lockdown.
Apple is closing its Apple Stores in France as the country enters its third coronavirus lockdown.
France's data protection authority is scrutinizing whether Apple's first-party advertising practices comply with privacy regulations in the European Union.
The French data protection authority is investigating Apple's advertising tools, in response to a complaint from a lobbyist group claiming Apple doesn't operate a level playing field with iOS app developers when it comes to user privacy.
Apple has come under fire in France for its advertising system, with a lobbying group complaining its own ad-serving tool doesn't ask for user consent to offer targeted ads, despite Apple's policies forcing third-party iOS app developers to make the request.
The French government wants changes to be made to the European Union's inbound regulatory updates affecting big tech companies and platforms like the App Store, granting more control to member states.
The Apple Store serving Bordeaux, France, may receive an update to its interior, with a refresh to the storefront possibly timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the store's opening.
Digital service taxes being applied in assorted European countries will cost Apple and other American companies millions of dollars going forward, and the US Trade Representative is considering applying trade tariffs to retaliate or discourage application.
Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have signed up to a new "Tech for Good Call," a French initiative that includes principles about taxation. Amazon has declined to collaborate, however, and Apple is reportedly still in discussions.
French authorities have reportedly begun demanding tax payments amounting to many millions of dollars from US technology firms, as part of its digital tax plans.
A collection of advertisers and publishers in France have filed a complaint with the country's competition authority, claiming that iOS 14's blocking of automatic ad tracking will severely affect revenues.
Apple is continuing to ship EarPods with its iPhone 12 and other models in France. Here's how the company is doing it.
In what's believed to be in order to comply with local regulations, Apple is to include a pair of wired EarPods with all models of iPhone 12 that are sold in France.
France's finance minister took aim at the dominance of foreign tech giants in the European Union on Tuesday, and specifically named Apple as an example.
Apple has added more stores to the list for reopening in early June, with stores in France set to reopen on June 9 while locations in Spain and Turkey will reopen on June 8.
The French government is going ahead with its digital tax effort on Apple and other tech multinational companies, and is no longer waiting on an international tax reform effort to do so.
Apple has reopened all of its operational Apple Stores in Australia, following their closure because of the coronavirus outbreak. Each of the stores has introduced social distancing and temperature checks.
The French government has accused Apple of lowering the effectiveness of its upcoming COVID-19 contact-tracking app, with digital technology minister Cedric O claiming Apple is not helping enough by preventing background app access to Bluetooth.
French telecom company Orange says that it is still in discussions with Apple over allowing its COVID-19 contact tracing app greater access to iOS core features, potentially risking users' privacy.
France is working to release a contact tracing app to monitor the spread of COVID-19, but Apple's built-in iOS security features currently prevent the software from functioning.
France's competitive authority has fined Apple, and two of its local wholesalers, over practices regarding pricing which amounted to an antitrust violation.
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