It’s through – the law that will force Apple to open the NFC chip in the iPhone was approved by the Federal Council today.
It was a cloak-and-dagger operation. The German Finance Committee was originally supposed to draft a bill in the middle of the month to implement the amending directives to the fourth EU Money Laundering Directive. So far, so good. But the committee decided to expand the said bill. Overnight, a section was added that forces operators of payment service infrastructures to generally grant access to these "for a reasonable fee and using reasonable access conditions." In short: The law forces Apple to open the NFC chip in the iPhone. This would give third-party payment method providers access to the "Secure Enclave." For example, Sparkasse could integrate its own payment method into the iPhone. The consequence would be that Cupertino would no longer be able to guarantee the security of bank data.
"Green light for new money laundering regulations"
Now the whole thing has been approved by the Federal Council. The new law is to come into force on January 1, 2020. It states:
On 29 November 2019, the Bundesrat approved the regulations adopted by the Bundestag to implement the EU Money Laundering Directive.
Federal Council
But that's not all. The resolution highlights a section entitled "The Bundestag's amendment also affects Apple Pay." It states:
At the instigation of the Bundestag, the law also obliges large digital companies to allow payment services access to the NFC interface. This also affects the Apple Pay business model.
Federal Council
Now the question is, what happens next? One thing is certain - Apple will not give in without a fight. In an earlier article, we took a closer look at the draft law, which leaves two loopholes open for Apple. You can find out more about this below. (Photo by ixoca777 / Bigstockphoto)
