GoKawiilItaly is investigating Apple over potential monopoly issues under the EU's Digital Markets Act, this time with its iCloud service, Reuters reported. The nation's digital authority, AGCM, accused the company of not granting third-party cloud storage operators the same access to its iOS and iPadOS operating systems as its own iCloud service, as is legally required. Once its probe is complete, Italy will send its findings to the EU Commission for enforcement, which could result in fines or other measures.
The AGCM authority said it had proof that third-party consumer cloud services, presumably like Google's Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, did not enjoy the same access as iCloud to certain Apple services or features. "For example, it appears that Apple does not allow alternative cloud storage services to use the iOS and iPadOS features enabling end users to perform a full backup of their devices' data, while those same features are available to Apple's iCloud," the regulator wrote.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter, but the company has generally held a hard line when responding to antitrust allegations. Recently, the company delayed Siri AI for iPhones indefinitely in the EU over the bloc's "refusal to engage constructively on solutions that preserve privacy and security," according to senior VP Craig Federighi. The company could make a similar argument if the bloc orders it to open its iOS and iPadOS services up to third-party cloud services.