Seoul: A civic group in South Korea announced on Monday that it has lodged a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) against Apple Inc. The complaint centers on allegations that Apple's advertising practices violated laws concerning the artificial intelligence (AI) feature in the iPhone 16 smartphone.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul YMCA filed the complaint in response to the exclusion of the AI Siri feature from the iOS 18 operating system on Apple's latest smartphone model. The iPhone 16 was launched in South Korea in September, and the AI feature was initially promised as part of the iOS 18 system. However, its inclusion was postponed for a future update.
The civic group alleged that Apple removed related advertisements from YouTube, which raised suspicions that the company was aware of the feature's delay in advance. Despite this knowledge, Apple is accused of continuing to market the product without disclosing the information about the postponement.
The group stated, "We will closely monitor the investigation process and results, and take further action if necessary." The outcome of the complaint is awaited as the investigation proceeds.