Italy's Competition Authority (AGCM) has launched an investigation into Apple's compliance with interoperability requirements under the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), ANSA news agency reported on Tuesday.
The regulator said Apple is required under the DMA to ensure that competing consumer cloud services can effectively interoperate with its operating systems free of charge and receive access to the same hardware and software functionalities available to Apple's iCloud service.
The authority said concerns had been raised that third-party providers "may not be placed under the same conditions as Apple's iCloud service," prompting what it described as the first use of its investigative powers under Article 38(7) of the DMA.
The proceedings were launched in close cooperation with the European Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the DMA across the European Union.
The Italian authority will forward its findings to the Commission once the investigation is completed.