Apple raises its concern after being forced to approve porn app on EU iPhones due to Europe’s Digital Market Act

Apple launched its App Store in 2008 and since then the company has focused on its policy to prevent apps explicitly for distributing pornography from being listed in the App Store. But iPhones in the EU will now get their first-ever native porn app due to EU rules.
This is because Apple has been legally required to approve a pornography app for iPhone users in EU markets due to regulatory actions put in place by Europe’s Digital Markets Act. EU iPhone users can now access Hot Tub, an app for browsing pornography via AltStore PAL, as easily as downloading Epic’s Fortnite or Delta, the popular Nintendo game emulator.
According to AltStore, the Hot Tub app has completed all approval hurdles including DMA. AltStore has mentioned that the app is notarized by Apple making it the world’s first Apple-approved porn app. Apple seems to be quite disappointed about this claim as they have issued a statement clarifying why the app is approved and have also raised their concerns about this app.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety risk that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids.” They further mentioned, “This app and others like it will undermine consumer trust and confidence in our ecosystem that we have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world. Contrary to the false statements made by the marketplace developer, we certainly do not approve of this app and would never offer it in our App Store. The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for users safety.”
To the above statement, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has reacted and said, “This isn’t how platforms should work: on Windows, Mac, and Linux, developers can make and release apps without the platform maker adding junk fees and rendering moral judgments on their decisions.”
Further, he also mentioned, “Contrary to Apple’s false statement, the Epic Games Store doesn’t carry this app, doesn’t carry any porn apps and has never carried porn apps.” He backfired that Apple’s App Store does carry porn apps like Reddit which is full of porn.
Via.