Apple's Stock Top Legal News Today: US iPhone Settlement and UK Encryption Controversies

Apple Inc. AAPL is making headlines today with significant legal developments. Here are the top two stories related to the tech giant:

U.S. Court Clears Path for iPhone Settlement Payments: 

The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has given the go-ahead for payments to be disbursed to members of a class action lawsuit against Apple. 

The lawsuit alleged that Apple intentionally reduced the performance of iPhones with older batteries. 

In a settlement reached in March 2020, Apple consented to pay between $310 million to $500 million. Eligible iPhone owners who filed claims before the October 2020 deadline are set to receive around $65. 

This settlement follows accusations from 2018 where Apple was alleged to have slowed down iPhone performance due to battery wear, a claim which Apple refuted, ABC7 News reports.

Apple's Stance on U.K.'s Online Safety Bill: 

The U.K.'s Online Safety Bill has stirred concerns among major tech companies, including Apple. The legislation, aimed at safeguarding children from harmful online content, mandates tech companies to provide backdoor access, potentially compromising encryption. 

Transitioning from decentralized peer-to-peer encryption to a centralized system could introduce vulnerabilities in private communications. 

Apple has voiced its reservations, indicating a preference to withdraw services like FaceTime and iMessage from the U.K. rather than compromise their security. 

Engineers might face challenges adapting to the loss of decentralized messaging, leading to potential alternative solutions such as integrating messaging systems within IoT apps or resorting to VPN networks, Techradar reports.

Disclaimer: This article was developed with the aid of artificial intelligence and Ultima Insights and underwent an editorial review.