Why Proton says Apple is a "tool of dictatorships" in new lawsuit
Privacy company Proton has filed a bombshell federal lawsuit accusing Apple of becoming a "tool of dictatorships" through its iron grip on iPhone app distribution, claiming the tech giant systematically removes apps to appease authoritarian regimes worldwide.
The Swiss firm's 73-page complaint, filed in California federal court June 30, reveals how Apple's App Store monopoly enables global censorship. According to the lawsuit, 66 of the world's 100 most popular apps are banned from Chinese iPhones, while all 240 tested VPN apps, critical tools for bypassing government censorship, are blocked from Chinese users.
Proton claims Apple threatened to remove its own VPN app unless the company stopped advertising its ability to "unblock censored websites," forcing the privacy advocate to self-censor or lose access to millions of iOS users.
The lawsuit is the latest challenge to Apple's tight control over the iPhone ecosystem
The filing details Apple's pattern of removing apps at dictators' demands, including the 2019 removal of HKmap.Live during Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests and dozens of VPN apps from Russia's App Store last year, precisely when Russian citizens needed these tools most to access independent media.
"Apple's monopoly over iOS app distribution means it can enforce this perverse policy on all app developers, forcing them to also be complicit," Proton argues in court documents. The company serves over 100 million users across 180 countries with privacy-focused alternatives to Apple 's own services.
Beyond censorship, Proton alleges Apple's 30% "arbitrary tax" on app payments props up "surveillance capitalism" by penalizing privacy-first subscription services while giving free passes to data-harvesting companies like Meta and Google that don't process App Store payments.
The class-action lawsuit seeks to break Apple's stranglehold on iPhone app distribution and payment processing, demanding court orders allowing competing app stores on iOS. Proton pledged to donate any settlement money to democracy and human rights organizations.
Apple has not responded to the allegations targeting its role in global digital authoritarianism.
The Swiss firm's 73-page complaint, filed in California federal court June 30, reveals how Apple's App Store monopoly enables global censorship. According to the lawsuit, 66 of the world's 100 most popular apps are banned from Chinese iPhones, while all 240 tested VPN apps, critical tools for bypassing government censorship, are blocked from Chinese users.
Proton claims Apple threatened to remove its own VPN app unless the company stopped advertising its ability to "unblock censored websites," forcing the privacy advocate to self-censor or lose access to millions of iOS users.
The lawsuit is the latest challenge to Apple's tight control over the iPhone ecosystem
The filing details Apple's pattern of removing apps at dictators' demands, including the 2019 removal of HKmap.Live during Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests and dozens of VPN apps from Russia's App Store last year, precisely when Russian citizens needed these tools most to access independent media.
"Apple's monopoly over iOS app distribution means it can enforce this perverse policy on all app developers, forcing them to also be complicit," Proton argues in court documents. The company serves over 100 million users across 180 countries with privacy-focused alternatives to Apple 's own services.
Beyond censorship, Proton alleges Apple's 30% "arbitrary tax" on app payments props up "surveillance capitalism" by penalizing privacy-first subscription services while giving free passes to data-harvesting companies like Meta and Google that don't process App Store payments.
The class-action lawsuit seeks to break Apple's stranglehold on iPhone app distribution and payment processing, demanding court orders allowing competing app stores on iOS. Proton pledged to donate any settlement money to democracy and human rights organizations.
Apple has not responded to the allegations targeting its role in global digital authoritarianism.
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