Apple is calling out Rep. Kat Cammack’s (R-FL) bill, the App Store Freedom Act, for “undermining kids’ online safety,” reports The Washington Examiner.
The bill aims to “promote competition and protect consumers and developers in the mobile app marketplace,” she said. The bill supports interoperability and consumer choice by requiring large app store operators (over 100 million U.S. users) to: allow users to set third-party apps or app stores as default; install apps or app stores outside of the dominant platform; and remove or hide pre-installed apps.
Additionally, the bill directs companies provide developers equal access to interfaces, features, and development tools without cost or discrimination. Finally, it prohibits app stores from forcing developers to use the company’s in-app payment system, imposing pricing parity requirements, and punishing developers for distributing their apps elsewhere.
“We must continue to hold Big Tech accountable and promote competition that allows all players to enter the field,”Cammack said in a statement accompanying the bill.
“Dominant app stores have controlled customer data and forced consumers to use the marketplaces’ own merchant services, instead of the native, in-app offerings provided by the applications and developers themselves. The results are higher prices and limited selections for consumers and anti-competitive practices for developers that have stifled innovation,” she added.
Apple opposes the bill, which it says kills competition and endangers children’s online safety.
“Apple is deeply committed to kids’ online safety, which is why we support efforts to pass meaningful child safety legislation in Congress and continue to create powerful tools to help parents protect their children online,” an Apple spokesperson told The Washington Examiner.
“The App Store Freedom Act would have the opposite impact, undermining kids’ online safety while also stifling competition and eroding privacy and security protections for consumers. Apple will continue to prioritize kids’ safety online, as well as advocate to protect American innovation and the best interests of users and developers who rely upon the App Store,” they said.
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