EU Pressures Apple to Allow Rival Photo Apps on iPhones, Risking User Privacy
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EU competition head Margrethe Vestager suggested Apple may be required to let iPhone users delete the Photos app, which would involve massive changes to iOS.
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This would mean allowing third-party apps to serve as the system-level image library and camera roll instead of the Photos app.
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Some think the scope of the EU's demands could lead Apple to stop selling iPhones in EU countries, but EU commissioner Thierry Breton dismissed this idea.
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The EU market of 450 million customers is too important for any company to exit voluntarily according to Breton.
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Allowing third-party apps to replace Photos could be risky from a privacy standpoint; photos are highly sensitive personal data that Apple goes to great lengths to protect.