Apple Mandates Developer Contact Information Disclosure, Sparking Controversy Under EU's Digital Services Act

Apple Mandates Developer Contact Information Disclosure, Sparking Controversy Under EU's Digital Services ActApple has announced that it will be enforcing the disclosure of merchant identity and contact information for all developers publishing apps on the EU App Store, in compliance with the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA). This move has sparked discontent among developers, particularly independent developers and small companies, who are concerned about the security risks associated with the disclosure of their personal information

Apple Mandates Developer Contact Information Disclosure, Sparking Controversy Under EU's Digital Services Act

Apple has announced that it will be enforcing the disclosure of merchant identity and contact information for all developers publishing apps on the EU App Store, in compliance with the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA). This move has sparked discontent among developers, particularly independent developers and small companies, who are concerned about the security risks associated with the disclosure of their personal information.

Under the DSA, Apple is required to verify and display the merchant contract information for all "merchants" that publish apps on the EU App Store. Any developer who earns revenue through pre-purchase fees or in-app purchases, regardless of size, is considered a merchant. This means that every developer, including individual developers, will be forced to publicly disclose their contact information, which will be displayed on their App Store developer pages.

This mandatory measure will come into effect on October 16, 2024, from which date developers must provide merchant identity to submit app updates. After February 17, 2025, apps that have not provided merchant identity will be removed from the EU App Store until the information is provided and verified. Apple has no choice but to implement this feature as the display of merchant information is a mandatory requirement of the DSA.

Developers have expressed strong concerns about this measure. Independent developers and smaller companies may not have company addresses or phone numbers, and they are reluctant to disclose personal contact information, fearing security risks and harassment. They worry that disclosing personal information could be exploited by malicious actors, leading to various risks such as spam, phishing calls, and cyberattacks.

Beyond security issues, developers are also concerned about the impact of public contact information on their privacy and business interests. They fear that potential customers could use the publicly available information to contact them directly, bypassing the App Store platform for transactions and ultimately harming the App Store's business interests.

Currently, developers are left with no choice but to comply with this mandatory measure by providing the necessary merchant information as soon as possible to avoid app removal. They can only hope that Apple will provide more protection mechanisms for developers' privacy and security during subsequent implementation phases and quickly address their concerns.

To gain a better understanding of which developers fall under the "merchant" category and which ones need to provide detailed contact information, developers can visit the official Apple website for further information.