The UK Apple Lawsuit: Where Do I Begin?
Big Tech and its morally questionable practices have been an issue for years now. The conversation is being revisited after the UK Apple lawsuit.
- Throttling refers to the intentional slowing down of a device, typically by reducing the processing power.
- Lawsuits have been filed against Apple for throttling in the UK, South Korea, the US, France, and Italy.
Big Tech and its questionable practices have been an issue for years now. Most seem like conspiracy theories. It is an outrageous claim to say “Your phone is listening and recording you!” but the truth is your device can record you when you use voice search and certain applications. But I digress. Recently, Apple made headlines due to the UK Apple lawsuit, seeking to block a UK lawsuit accusing the tech giant of “throttling” its phone’s performance. Let’s talk about it.
Throttling?
In our context, throttling refers to the intentional slowing down of a device, typically by reducing the processing power. There are various reasons for such practices:
- Preventing overheating
- Conserving battery life
We all know that Big Tech is not exactly the most user-focused collective out there. So, they use throttling for anti-competitive purposes or to force users to upgrade to newer devices or plans. Some smartphone manufacturers, for example, throttled older devices through software updates to encourage users to purchase newer models. You understand why people are not happy in cases where this “update” went through without their knowledge or consent, right?
Apple, the UK, and the Rest of the World
For years now, I have been hearing about how Apple does this. And to be honest, I thought that was a load of …. laundry. Now, I feel like patting my own back, calling myself a sweet summer child. Here is what is colloquially known as batterygate with the most recent being the UK Apple lawsuit.
- U.K – 2023: Justin Gutmann sued Apple on behalf of UK-based users affected by their practice for $2 billion. Apple is trying to block the suit.
- S. Korea – 2023: Korean judge dismisses suit against apple.
- U.S – 2020: Apple settled allegations from 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for $113 million.
- France – 2020: French competition watchdog fined Apple $27.4 million.
- Italy – 2018: Italy’s antitrust authority fined $11.5 million.
Just Because They Can, They Definitely Will
The difference within this context between Apple and other Big Tech names is that the public caught Apple. Every single tech giant has been caught engaging in morally questionable practices. Some were apologetic, others kind of swept it under the rug. Regardless, the bigwigs got too comfortable.
- Non-Consensual Collecting and Sharing of User Data
- Monopolistic Practices (favoring their own products over competitors’ products or using exclusive deals to stifle competition)
- Labor Exploitation (using contract workers instead of employees to avoid paying fair wages and benefits, or relying on sweatshop labor in their supply chains)
Final Thoughts
There’s a saying my mother taught me in Arabic: “O Pharoah! Who made you pharaoh? No one, I made myself the pharaoh and nobody stopped me.” Big Tech did the same in the sense that they took over technology and made sure that they were getting the most out of the public that didn’t know better. But 2023, so far, has been the year of reckoning for the tech giants, with major headlines like the UK Apple lawsuit. Could it be that we are getting our day in court to hold accountable those who took advantage of us?
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