Merge pull request 'news interop survey' (#5102) from news20250618 into master
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fsfe.org/news/2025/news-20250618.01.en.xhtml
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fsfe.org/news/2025/news-20250618.01.en.xhtml
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<html newsdate="2025-06-18">
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<version>1</version>
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<head>
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<title>DMA: tell us how gatekeepers are handling your interoperability requests</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>DMA: tell us how gatekeepers are handling your interoperability requests</h1>
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<p>Free Software developers: your voice is needed! The Free Software Foundation Europe has launched the Digital Markets Act Interoperability Survey to gather first-hand experiences from developers requesting software interoperability.</p>
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<p>Imagine you are a developer building a Free Software
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payment system for iOS, or an emulator for the iPad, or even an
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alternative app store for the iPhone. You are ready to share your
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project with the world, but you are denied access to the APIs you need. Or you try to contact Apple, but you get no reply at all to your
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interoperability request. Or the documentation online is faulty, and
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there is no reaction to your bug filing on Apple’s tracking system. Or, worst of all, you have your request denied, and no explanation
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whatsoever is given of the reasons.</p>
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<p>These scenarios are not far-fetched. These are
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realities many Free Software developers face in their daily work when
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interacting with “gatekeepers” like Apple and other large tech
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companies.</p>
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<figure>
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<img src="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/da73e8f621d03df2c70f873ce6e010e6.png"
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alt=""/>
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</figure>
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<p>The <a
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href="http://activities/deviceneutrality/dma.html">Digital
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Markets Act (DMA)</a> is a law in the European Union aimed to remediate these issues. Article 6(7) specifically requires gatekeepers, like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, to provide developers free-of-charge, effective, and documentedaccess to hardware and software features they need for their projects. The idea is simple: enable real competition, encourage innovation, and make room for Free Software alternatives. </p>
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<h3>A victory for interoperability!</h3>
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<p>During the regulatory dialogues with the European
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Commission, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) has coordinated
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efforts within a <a
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href="https://download.fsfe.org/campaigns/device-neutrality/202404-FSFE-apple-report-EC.pdf"> coalition
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of Free Software projects</a> that
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were directly affected, including developers of alternative browsers,
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payment systems, app stores, and emulators. We documented their attempts
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to request interoperability, and the roadblocks they encountered, vague
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procedures, unreasonable requirements, or simply being ignored. We then
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presented these findings to the European Commission, calling for clearer
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enforcement.</p>
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<p>In December 2024, the European Commission started a
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regulatory procedure to improve Apple’s procedures for granting
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developers interoperability within iOS and iPadOS. The FSFE engaged with
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the Commission providing comprehensive inputs <a
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href="http://news/2025/news-20250116-01.html">demanding
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better policies</a> towards Free
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Software developers. In March 2025, the Commission published a decision <a
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href="http://news/2025/news-20250403-01.html">adopting
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several of our suggestions</a>,
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substantially improving Apple’s procedures for interoperability
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requests. In its turn, Apple reacted aggressively, <a
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href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/tech/news/apple-challenges-european-commissions-unreasonable-demands-in-court-appeal/">starting
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new litigation against the
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Commission</a> in opposition to these
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procedures.</p>
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<p>Now, the challenge comes with the enforcement of
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these rules. Monitoring is paramount.</p>
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<h3>Hackers needed: share your experience with
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interoperability</h3>
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<p>The recent victory achieved by the decision of the
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Commission has underscored the importance of interoperability for
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innovation. It is enabling alternatives to proprietary services and
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ultimately giving users more choice and control over the technology they
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use every day</p>
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<p>The FSFE has launched the <a
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href="https://survey.fsfe.org/index.php/699938?lang=en"><strong><strong>DMA
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</strong><strong>Interoperability
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Survey</strong></strong></a>, aimed at collecting
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crucial input from Free Software developers who have tried, or plan to
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try, to request interoperability from companies like Apple, Google,
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Microsoft, and Amazon under Article 6(7) of the DMA. We want to monitor
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how gatekeepers are handling the interoperability requests submitted by
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Free Software developers. We want to hear the developers’ experiences
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and to make sure their voices are heard when gatekeepers fall short of
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their obligations.</p>
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<p><strong><strong>If you are a Free Software developer and made or plan
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to make an interoperability request under Article 6(7) of the DMA, we
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need your help!</strong></strong> Whether your request was successful, delayed, denied, or
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ignored: your insights are valuable. Please, take a look at the survey
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or share it with anyone for whom this might be relevant.
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</p>
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<p>The FSFE will use the findings to identify systemic
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issues, advocate for stronger enforcement, and support a full and fair
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implementation of the DMA. This protects and empowers developers, and
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our software freedom.</p>
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<div class="color-box background" data-color="android-lime">
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<p> Take the interoperability survey and share your experience</p>
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<a class="btn btn-default" href="https://survey.fsfe.org/index.php/699938?lang=en"> Start the survey</a>
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</div>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag key="front-page"/>
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<tag key="dma">DMA</tag>
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<tag key="deviceneutrality">Device Neutrality</tag>
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<tag key="highlights">highlights</tag>
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</tags>
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<discussion href="https://mastodon.social/deck/@fsfe/"/>
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<image url="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/da73e8f621d03df2c70f873ce6e010e6.png"
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alt=""/>
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</html>
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