To evade EU regulation, Apple claims to offer three Safari browsers: different devices with the same name

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizens OC_Formula, soft media users 1520111, Alejandro86 for the delivery of clues! CTOnews.com, November 4 (Xinhua)-- in order to evade EU regulation, Apple has come up with a surprising statement: it offers not one but three different web browsers, all of which are "coincidentally" named Safari, British media The Register reported on Thursday.

Apple claims to maintain five app stores and five operating systems, all of which, with the exception of iOS, are below the threshold set in Europe to regulate large platform services and ensure competition.

According to the EU Digital Market Act, Apple needs to open up its third-party browser engine. By March 2024, Apple is expected to allow third-party app stores to work with browser engines other than Safari's Webkit, limited to the European market.

Apple learned of the news in July and submitted a reply to the European Commission in August. According to the European Commission's ruling document, Apple reiterated its position that each Safari web browser constitutes a unique "core platform service" with different interface options and different uses. For example, Safari browsers on iPadOS and macOS include sidebars that allow users to view open tags and tag groups, while iOS does not.

According to Apple, only the iOS version of Safari falls within the scope of DMA requirements.

CTOnews.com previously reported that in early September, under the Digital Market Act, the European Commission for the first time designated six companies as "gatekeepers": Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Byte Jump, Meta, Microsoft, including 22 core platform services provided by them, including Apple App Store, Safari, Facebook, Chrome, Windows PC OS, TikTok, Youtube and so on. These companies will have six months to ensure that each of their designated core platform services fully complies with their obligations under the Digital Markets Act.

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The European Commission announces the first batch of six Digital Market Act "gatekeepers" companies, covering 22 core platform services, including Apple's App Store.