Italian Watchdog Says iCloud Terms & Conditions May Be Illegal

The Italian antitrust regulator has found that Apple’s iCloud terms and conditions are unreasonable and unfair to consumers, and may breach consumer protection laws. This is the latest in a long line of antitrust investigations and lawsuits faced by the Cupertino company.

An investigation and public consultation was carried out following complaints, and a number of Apple’s terms were considered unlawful.

The announcement was made in a report by the Autorità Garante Della Concorrenza E Del Mercato (The Guarantee Authority for Competition and the Market).

It stated that every consumer association that participated in the consultation agreed that the terms were unbalanced and unfair. In particular, it cited three elements.

iCloud terms and conditions state that Apple can unilaterally modify them at any time, without imposing any concrete limits on the impact of these changes. The contract relies on vague terms that state that any changes must be “reasonable,” but without providing examples.

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.