Apple has been hit by a lawsuit claiming it rejected a coronavirus contact tracking app to maintain a COVID-19 reporting monopoly.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the New Hampshire District, revolves around a smartphone application called “Coronavirus Reporter” that was denied access to the App Store in March 2020.
Coronavirus Reporter, the lawsuit alleges, was developed in February 2020 by a team of healthcare and computer science experts to “capture and obtain critical biostatistical and epidemiological data as it took place.”
The team behind the app completed development on March 3, the complaint continues. That’s about the time Apple wanted coronavirus-related apps from the App Store that didn’t come from recognized medical, government, or other institutions.
The technology giant said in an announcement posted on its developer website in mid-March last year, its commitment to making the App Store a “ safe and trusted place ” and said it was critically evaluating coronavirus-related apps to ensure data sources reliable and that developers presenting these apps come from recognized entities such as government organizations, health-oriented NGOs, companies with a strong reputation in health issues, and medical or educational institutions. It also recognized the time-sensitive nature of publishing said apps and made adjustments to speed up the review process.
After Apple dismissed Coronavirus Reporter, the app’s developers appealed. The title was eventually rejected about 20 days later because it was not supported by a recognized healthcare company and the “user generated data has not been verified for accuracy by a reliable source.”
The complaint says that about a month later, Apple allowed another app that functioned the same way in the App Store. It also has issues with the Apple and Google Exposure Notification framework, which is said to be “largely a failure.”
In addition to ensuring accurate data from legitimate sources, Apple’s cross-platform Exposure Notification protocol, co-developed with Google, is based on a privacy-first framework. The system refuses storage of personal data on central servers and relies on anonymized Bluetooth beacons on user devices until participants choose to share the information with a third party. If and when a user is diagnosed with COVID-19, they can choose to upload a 14-day list of recent contacts (again, anonymized) to a distribution server, which matches beacon IDs and sends notifications to those individuals to warn that they have entered close contact with a carrier of the virus. Doctors can also view the data if that access is granted.
Third-party apps that integrate with the Exposure Notification API must comply with Apple’s rules.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple has blocked Coronavirus Reporter in an attempt to maintain a monopoly on contact tracking. In addition, it claims that Apple’s ability to “arbitrarily determine which applications will or will not be published has significant anti-competitive effects”.
The lawsuit says these actions violate the anti-monopoly Sherman Act. It aims to prohibit the alleged anti-competitive behavior; damage in excess of $ 75,000; and a permanent injunction limiting Apple’s ability to “[restrict] reasonable applications. ”