Pavel Durov accuses US tech giants of harming app developers with their long review processes and profit cuts
Russian-born software entrepreneur Pavel Durov, who runs the company behind the popular messaging app Telegram, has slammed US tech giants for abusing their dominant market position.
The latest tirade, which Durov shared on this Telegram channel on Wednesday, was triggered by Apple apparently stalling the release of a new version of his messenger.
“Our upcoming update – which is about to revolutionize how people express themselves in messaging – has been stuck in Apple’s ‘review’ for two weeks, without explanation or any feedback provided by Apple,” he complained.
The review is supposed to allow the app store operator to check submitted code for any possible malware and confirm it is up to safety standards, before users can install it. Durov said the process was “discouraging” for his team, adding that “one can only imagine the difficulties experienced by smaller app developers.”
“This harm goes on top of the 30% tax Apple and Google take from app developers – which, according to them, is supposed to pay for the resources needed to review apps,” the businessman added. “The regulators in the EU and elsewhere are slowly starting to look into these abusive practices. But the economic damage that has already been inflicted by Apple on the tech industry won’t be undone.”
READ MORE: Apple CEO demands US privacy law
Apple stands out among tech companies with the strict rules for its platform. Unlike with Google’s Android OS, Only Apple-approved software downloaded from the company’s store is allowed on Apple devices.
Durov earlier claimed the policy turns Apple’s customers into “digital slaves” of the company’s ecosystem, who have no choice but to buy its “overpriced, obsolete” hardware, while submitting their data to surveillance and censorship.
RT (Russia Today) is a state-owned news organization funded by the Russian government. The information provided by this news source is being included by the Libertarian Hub not as an endorsement of the Russian government, but rather because it is being actively censored by Big Tech, Western governments and the corporate press. During times of conflict it is imperative that we have access to both sides of the story so we can form our own opinions, even if both sides are spewing their own propaganda. The censorship of RT, despite likely being a propaganda outfit for the Russian government, reduces our ability to hear one side of the conflict. For that reason, the Libertarian Hub will temporarily republish the RSS feed from RT. Visit https://rt.com