VOA慢速英语2021--韩国限制苹果谷歌控制App支付

South Korea lawmakers approved a law on Tuesday banning app stores from controlling how apps and their services are paid for.

South Korea is reportedly the first country in the world to pass such a law.

Technology companies Google and Apple operate profitable app stores. They require app makers¹ to use their payment systems.

Google and Apple have faced a lot of criticism for their requirements on payment systems. That is because they get up to 30 percent of the money from the sales in their app stores. They say that the money helps pay for the cost of operating these stores. Google's Google Play and Apple's App Store are used by people around the world.

The new South Korean law prevents app stores from using their strong market positions to require use of their payment systems. Instead, they must let app makers give the public additional ways to pay. South Korea says the ban is aimed at supporting fairer competition.

The law also aims to prevent retaliation² against app makers by banning app stores from unreasonably³ delaying app approval.

Apple criticized the law in a statement Tuesday. It said the law will "put users who purchase digital goods" with other payment methods at risk of fraud. The company also said the law would weaken users' privacy protections and make it hard to oversee⁴ their purchases. And, Apple said, it will make parental⁵ controls and other tools less effective.

The company said user trust in app store purchases will decrease and lead to fewer opportunities for Korean app developers.

The new law will also let Korean officials examine app markets to find disputes and stop actions that block fair competition.

Officials in Europe, China and other places worry about the market control of Apple, Google and similar companies. That includes their control over payment systems, online advertisements and other things. Chinese officials have fined some companies for breaking rules meant to prevent monopolies. Other governments are trying to decide how best to keep markets competitive.

The Korea Internet Corporations Association is an industry group. Its members include South Korea's largest internet companies, such as Naver, a search engine and online shopping service. Naver welcomed the passage of the law and said it would create healthier competition. The company also said it would give users more choices at lower prices.

Google said it is considering how to obey the new law.

"Google Play provides far more than payment processing," and the service cost helps keep Android free, the company said in a statement. Android is Google's operating system for smart phones. The company said it gives developers the tools to reach a market of billions of people around the world.

"And just as it costs developers money to build an app, it costs us money to build" and keep an operating system and app store, Google said.

Recently, Apple announced it will let makers of iPhone apps tell users about low-cost ways to buy digital subscriptions⁷ and media.

That decision was part of a legal case involving iPhone app developers in the U.S. Also, a U.S. federal court judge will soon rule on a separate case brought by Epic⁸ Games. The company created the popular video game Fortnite.

The judge wondered why Apple would not let developers of apps like Fortnite show different payment choices within their apps.

Over the last year, Google and Apple reduced the percentage of sales they take from app makers from 30 percent to 15 percent. That reduction is for app makers that earn less than $1 million a year, which is the case for most apps in their stores. But that does not help the largest app makers, like Epic Games and Spotify. The two have taken their complaints around the world.

The European Union's executive Commission has accused Apple of forcing developers to use its payment system. Several U.S. states brought a legal case in July against Google's app store. And Australian officials have also said they are concerned about Apple and Google's requirements related to payment methods.

Words in This Story

app (application) –n. . a computer program made for smart phones and tablets that carries out a specific job

monopoly –n. a situation in which a company has complete control of the supply of goods or service in an area or market

retaliation –n. to do something bad to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly

fraud –n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person

opportunity –n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done or gained; a chance to do business

subscription⁶ –n. an agreement that you make with a company to get a publication or service regularly

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 unreasonably   

adv. 不合理地

参考例句：

• He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
• Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。

4 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

5 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

6 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

7 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。