
Ref. Ares(2022)5170881 - 15/07/2022

On the other hand, we are very concerned that a combination of DMA obligations focusing on virtual
assistants could raise very significant privacy concerns. Coupled with a potential extended scope of
6.1.f and requirements on defaults and choice screen, considering Siri as a standalone service under the
DMA could give claims to competing virtual assistants to replace Siri as the primary voice interface on
Ap
This is a huge concern from a privacy perspective. For example, Siri integration in iOS helps making our
devices more accessible, by reading out to the deaf community all text on the device, including sensitive
financial and security information (passwords, etc). Enabling voice trigger functionality (starting a voice
assistant without using a button) for third parties could mean giving them the ability to have continuous
background access to a device's microphone. Beyond the obvious privacy issues related to this, such
move will likely results in cementing the market position of existing leading virtual assistant providers,
and allow them to gather more user data - one of the key concerns highlighted in the final report of the
IoT sector inquiry.
Do not hesitate to reach back to us should you have any questions.
Kind regards,
EU Transparency Register: 588327811384-96