image: Apple

Apple has made an official statement blaming its removal of several parental control apps from the App Store on privacy and security concerns, after a piece from The New York Times generated attention over fears of Apple restricting competition. According to research from NYT and app-data firm Sensor Tower, Apple has restricted or removed at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded parental-control and screen-time apps on the App Store.

Among those affected is OurPact, the top parental control app with more than three million downloads on the App Store. Apple pulled the app from the App Store in February, putting a hold on what accounted for 80% of OurPact’s revenue according to the New York Times article. Apple says the parental control apps affected made use of a “highly invasive” technology called ‘Mobile Device Management (MDM)’ which gives a third party control and access over a device and its sensitive information.

Apple CEO Timothy Donald Cook (middle) image: Apple

MDM is mainly used by businesses on enterprise devices to keep control of proprietary data and hardware. Apple says its usage on private, consumer-focused apps is “a clear violation of App Store policies”. The iPhone maker also says research has shown that MDM profiles could be harnessed by hackers to gain access to devices for malicious purposes.

“Parents shouldn’t have to trade their fears of their children’s device usage for risks to privacy and security, and the App Store should not be a platform to force this choice,” Apple said in its statement. “…..Apple has always supported third-party apps on the App Store that help parents manage their kids’ devices. Contrary to what The New York Times reported over the weekend, this isn’t a matter of competition. It’s a matter of security.” the company said.

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