Regulators at the European Union have been probing tech giant Apple as the bloc looks to hit the company with antitrust charges at some point this week.
The EU has become concerned over the tech giants supposed market dominance and is set to hit with charges to prevent anti-competitive behaviour.
Read more: EU announces new AI rules, hoping to set global standard
Reports are mixed over the reasoning behind these charges. The FT reports the primary reason for the antitrust charges is due to the App Store and how the ads market may allow for unfair market domination.
DW confirmed the FT's report, alleging there were "abuses of market share," after Apple denied dominating the market. The tech giant argues that it does not maintain a dominant position in the market, which it classifies as "smartphone" and "apps," but regulatory boards disagree.
Regulators view the relevant market as "iOS apps," when it comes to the phone app market, which Apple clearly demonstrates some monopoly over.
They also claim there is no method for developers to make use of the iOS store without directly selling the app to Apple, which also proves their cornering of the market.
Apple CEO Tim Cook. Credit: Valery Marchive
Apple is set to roll out the latest iOS patch on Monday, which will ask users if they wish to be tracked for advertising purposes. It is likely that most users will decline, which could stand to hurt the company's mobile advertising scheme.
Germany has claimed a 60% loss in ad revenue for app developers, alleging the changes made to the store make it more difficult for third parties to gain leverage on the platform.
Antitrust charges of this variety - supposed "anti-competition" rules - are common for large companies such as Apple, as proving monopolies and market dominance are present becomes far easier.
This marks a continuation of the measures the European Union is taking against "big tech" companies as they look to curb their market power to make way for conditions that allow European startups to bloom.
The Commission opened up antitrust investigations into Apple's App Store and Apple pay services last year, although it is unclear which actions will be taken.
The EU's head of digital policy, Margrethe Vestager, has threatened to sanction tech giants who refuse to work with them to settle their disputes.
Read more: Big Tech threatened with sanctions if they refuse to work with the EU
The EU has also made further jabs at tech giants for a number of reasons.
In January, the Commission said companies such as Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook and Google must keep tabs on "fake news" regarding the Covid pandemic, likely to prevent a rise in vaccine hysteria, which could affect relief efforts.
The EU also began to ramp up sanctions against tech giants over their ability to act as gatekeepers of information.
Radikale Venstre
Margrethe Vestager
This has been matched with other nations, such as Poland and Hungary, who feel these platforms are "systemically abusing free speech," according to Hungary's Justice Minister Judit Varga.
Varga claimed these platforms were unfairly targeting conservative and Christian voices on social media platforms, which flared up following former US President Donald Trump's ban following the US Capitol Storming back in January.
Furthermore, Russia on Tuesday hit Apple with a $12 million (€9.88 million) fine for alleged abuses of its market dominance.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) claims the iOS App Store gives its own apps a competitive edge, seemingly falling in line with the charges placed by the EU.
Apple admitted it "respectfully disagreed" with the FAS's claim and that it would launch an appeal.
DW also reports the EU is interesting in investigating the tax arrangements Apple is using.
Read more: The EU has been too slow in tackling Big Tech, external auditor says
This may allow for further sanctions against the tech giant, depending what its antitrust investigation brings up.
In 2016, Apple was forced to pay a $13 billion (€10.7 billion) fine in a state aid tax case against the Irish government.
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