France Probes App Stores Over “Lock-In,” Confirms Raid On Apple

Summary: French competition authorities confirmed to GigaOM they are reviewing the app stores of Apple, Google and Amazon for possible antitrust violations. The agency also said it conducted a raid on Apple last week.

In a new move against perceived market abuse by U.S. tech companies, French authorities say they are examining whether Apple and others are violating the law by unfairly “locking in” consumers to app stores.

According to a spokesperson from l’Autorité de la concurrence, the agency is concerned about consumers’ “inability to switch” once they purchase apps from forums like Apple’s App Store, Amazon’s Appstore or Google Play.