A top VPN provider is suing Apple over "surveillance capitalism"

You use a VPN to improve your online privacy, whether for streaming, or gaming, or some other purpose. But privacy comes at a cost, with certain companies, like Apple, gaining disproportionate control over everything from pricing to app distribution and even perceptions of what privacy is.

Proton, the company behind one of the best VPN services as well as Proton Mail, has announced that it has joined a class-action lawsuit against Apple, whose influence over the market has allowed it to pull legitimate VPN apps from the Russian App Store without consequence.

We're not talking about gaming VPNs either - Russian state control over what information its citizens can enjoy has been facilitated by Apple.

Proton vs. Apple

For a long time, Apple has sold its products and services on the notion of privacy and encryption, so it's interesting that Proton is calling them out. Then again, perhaps the surprise isn't so great when you consider that Apple had previously threatened to remove Proton VPN from the App Store.

However, there is more going on here than revenge and frustrations over privacy. Apple's monopolization of the App Store - or at least, the distribution of software on iOS - creates problems for everyone: "consumers, businesses, and society as a whole." Apple charges developers a fee, takes a massive cut of revenue, and exerts considerable influence on what pricing information can be shared between app publishers and consumers.

By joining the existing lawsuit from Korean app developers, Proton aims to push for "changes to App Store policies that will improve the state of the internet […] permanently end anti-competitive behavior on the App Store [and] benefit all consumers, developers, and competition."

What is the likely outcome?

Legal action against Apple is nothing new. It has been in the crosshairs of both the US Justice Department and the European Commission in recent times over alleged anti-competitive and monopolistic practices.

If the lawsuit is successful, we could be on the way to a free and open internet, as the medium was originally envisaged. But if it not, giants like Apple (and Google, and Meta, and many others) will continue to exert undue control and influence over our online activities.

While it is too early to say what the outcome of this will be, make sure you are making the most of the privacy tools available - which of course includes using a reputable VPN.

For more VPN insights, read my earlier article on whether or not it's the beginning of the end for VPNs. My Minecraft VPN guide is also helpful if you want to learn about how a VPN can help you in that blocky world.