Apple CEO Tim Cook Tuesday publically criticized pending antitrust regulation in the US and Europe while speaking at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Global Privacy Summit 2022 General Session in Washington DC.

Security is the foundation of privacy. Cook warned these pending regulations could put “privacy and security at risk.” Apple is in favor of privacy regulation, but Cook addressed the security dangers of “side loading” and stated:

Policymakers are taking steps in the name of competition that would force Apple to let apps on the iPhone that circumvent the App Store through a process called ‘side loading.’

Apple’s App Store is intended to give users “greater peace of mind knowing that their apps they download from the App Store are held to [Apple’s] strong privacy standards.” However, Cook is deeply concerned this pending antitrust regulation would harm iPhone users and warned of unintended privacy and security concerns.

The US Open App Markets Act is meant to prohibit three things:

The bill prohibits a covered company from (1) requiring developers to use an in-app payment system owned or controlled by the company as a condition of distribution or accessibility, (2) requiring that pricing or conditions of sale be equal to or more favorable on its app store than another app store, or (3) taking punitive action against a developer for using or offering different pricing terms or conditions of sale through another in-app payment system or on another app store.

Europe’s Digital Markets Act is meant to “ensure the proper functioning of the internal market by promoting effective competition in digital markets and in particular a fair and contestable online platform environment.”