Indian regulatory body calls Apple ‘anti-consumer’ as it refuses app to block spam calls

An Indian regulatory body has described Apple as ‘anti-consumer’ after the Cupertino company refused to approve a government Do-Not-Disturb app designed to block and report unwanted sales calls …

Times of India reports that Apple has so far taken more than a year to reconsider requests to approve the app.

The app has the capability to procure SMS details and call records of an individual from the phone’s messages column and call-log records. This would enable a customer to report the number sending unsolicited messages or making pesky calls straight to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India from the app, following which action could be taken.

When enough users report a company making spam calls, the regulatory authority takes action against them.

Apple’s concerns appear to be privacy-related, allowing access to data currently limited to stock apps. The chairman of TRAI says that users should be allowed to make the choice for themselves.

So basically you (Apple) are violating the right of the user to willingly share his/her own data with the regulator or with any third party of his/her choice. If a customer wants to share financial transaction data with his/her bank, for getting a loan, why should it not be allowed?

Google approved the app for Android phones more than a year ago, says the report.

While India currently accounts for a tiny percentage of iPhone sales, it is a massively important growth market as Apple struggles in China and sees flat sales elsewhere. The company recently started manufacturing iPhone SE models in the country, and is seeking to establish a ‘mini-Shenzhen’ in India to support future manufacturing.

Via CNET. Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui.

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