Apple has emailed its OS X and iOS developers asking them to begin certifying their apps with its new Developer ID program. When the company rolls out the Mountain Lion update for OS X, the Gatekeeper feature will allow users to install apps certified with Developer ID easily, but it will display a warning about apps that are not certified.
Apple says that Developer ID will help prevent users from unwittingly installing malware. However, some observers warn that the program gives Apple even more control over how people use their Macs.
Developers can request Developer ID certificates through Apple’s Xcode tools.