Dutch Regulator Fines Apple Yet Again Over App Store Policies

Dutch antitrust watchdog has fined Apple $5.72 million for failing to allow app makers in the country to use non-Apple payment methods for dating apps in its App Store.

The move marks the third time the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has levied a fine on the U.S. tech giant since the company missed its January 15 deadline to comply with the order.

The latest round of fines comes despite the fact that Apple has twice posted information on its blog explaining how it is complying with the regulator’s order. In a February 3, 2022 post, Apple published steps for developers to implement alternative payment methods with a caveat that the company would still charge a 27% commission on in-app payments that it does not process. Apple claims that the commission is in line with the ACM order.

ACM, however, argued that it is not receiving enough information from the company to assess if Apple is actually in compliance.

“ACM is disappointed in Apple’s behavior and actions,” the Dutch regulator said. It noted that Dutch courts have upheld its decision, which found that Apple’s behavior violated competition law.

While Apple has yet to react to ACM’s decision to impose yet another fine, the company is planning to appeal ACM’s original order as it believes that alternative payment methods are a security risk to its customer base.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on February 8, 2022.