04:42 AM EST, 12/19/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Apple ( AAPL ) accused Meta Platforms ( META ) of compromising user privacy by repeatedly seeking access to sensitive tools on its devices, news outlets reported Wednesday.

The criticism came as the European Union pushed Apple ( AAPL ) to open its operating system and devices to app developers.

But Apple ( AAPL ) said it is worried that developers and other platforms could abuse the EU's antitrust rules to gain access to sensitive personal data, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an online paper issued by Apple ( AAPL ).

It said that Meta made 15 requests to access Apple's ( AAPL ) technology that would degrade personal data features on the company's laptops, phones, and tablets, the Journal reported.

"If Apple ( AAPL ) were to have to grant all of these requests, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could enable Meta to read on a user's device all of their messages and emails, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app that they use, scan all of their photos, look at their files and calendar events, log all of their passwords, and more," the report cited the paper as saying.

Meta spokesman Andy M. Stone said in a post on X: "Here's what Apple ( AAPL ) is actually saying: they don't believe in interoperability. In fact, every time Apple ( AAPL ) is called out for anticompetitive behavior, they defend themselves on privacy grounds that have no basis in reality."

Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.