- Apple's App Store caught and blocked over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions last year
- The data is a notable increase from the $1.5 billion in fraudulent transactions blocked in 2021
- Standout figures include 3.9 million stolen credit cards blocked from malicious used
- The report arrives amid antitrust concerns surrounding Apple's sole control over the App Store
Apple’s App Store caught and blocked over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022 and stopped over 1.7 million app filings as they did not meet the company’s security, privacy, and content standards, according to a press release from the Cupertino giant. This is a notable increase from the $1.5 billion blocked in 2021.
According to Apple, it uses various methods to prevent fraud, including manual review, machine learning, and risk-based analysis. The report comprises a handful of sections detailing preventative measures against App Store and account fraud, stringent app review procedures, Apple’s vetting of ratings and reviews, and prevention of payment and credit card fraud.
Highlights from the report include 428,000 developer accounts being terminated for potentially fraudulent activity, nearly 400,000 app submissions being rejected over privacy violations, over 147 million ratings and reviews blocked or removed due to failing to meet moderation standards, and a whopping 3.9 million stolen credit cards that were blocked from being used.
Just over a million Apple Developer program enrollments were restricted as they were suspected of unethical activities, therefore preventing them from being able to submit apps to the App Store. In 2022 alone, Apple denied 57,000 storefronts and apps suspected of duplicitous transactions. As recently as April 2023, Apple restricted nearly 3.9 million user attempts to download apps maliciously distributed by the Developer Enterprise Program, which allows private organizations to deploy apps for internal use.
The data included in this report arrives amid antitrust concerns regarding Apple’s control over the App Store, which is currently the only way for developers to distribute apps to iPhone and iPad users. Apple is actively being investigated by antitrust regulators in the United States, Europe, and China over those concerns.
In a bid to ease Apple’s control, Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) could see iOS 17 introduce support for third-party web browsers, alternative app storefronts, and app sideloading in the EU by the end of 2023. Be sure to check out Supercharged’s recap of everything expected to be unveiled at WWDC’23.
