Not Playing Fair

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European Union regulators accused Apple of breaking the bloc’s competition laws Monday after preliminary findings showed that the tech giant misused its dominant position in mobile payments to deny competitors access to contactless technology, the Financial Times reported.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said the company has allegedly prevented its rivals from accessing “tap and go” chips or near-field communication (NFC) to benefit its own Apple Pay system.

She added that if the allegations are confirmed the firm would have violated the bloc’s competition rules and could face fines worth up to 10 percent of global turnover if the charges are upheld.

Apple responded to the fresh charges by saying that Apple Pay is “only one of many options” available to European consumers for making payments. The big tech company added that it “has ensured equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security.”

The new charges are the latest one against Apple, which is facing a series of antitrust investigations in the EU. Among them, the company is facing criticism over allegedly disadvantaging rivals on the App Store by collecting 30 percent of some subscription fees while depriving other services the option of informing consumers that there are other methods to upgrade.

The fresh allegations also follow two new landmark pieces of legislation in the EU, including the Digital Markets Act, aimed at limiting the dominance of big tech.