Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and a group of bipartisan lawmakers this week introduced legislation that would prevent big tech from operating as “unaccountable gatekeepers” for the mobile app economy.
Sens. Blackburn, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Open App Markets Act, a bill aimed at setting clear and enforceable rules of consumer protections within the app market.
“Big Tech giants have operated as unaccountable gatekeepers of the mobile app economy, forcing American consumers to use their app stores at the expense of innovative startups that threaten their bottom line,” Blackburn said in a statement.
“Our bipartisan Open App Markets Act would ensure a freer and fairer marketplace for consumers and small businesses by promoting competition in the app marketplace and opening the door to more choices and innovation,” she added.
With the advent of the smartphone, mobile devices have become a central aspect of the American consumers’ economic, social, and civic lives. The bipartisan group of lawmakers asserted that their legislation would break Apple and Google’s predominant “grip on the app economy.”
Blackburn’s press release about the legislation noted that consumers spent $92 billion on the Apple App Store and roughly $35.7 billion on the Google Play Store.
Apple has actively worked to prevent users from using third-party app stores on Apple devices, requiring app users and developers to use their Apple payment system.
The lawmakers stated that startups often face serious challenges because big tech can prioritize their own app to the disadvantage of smaller competitors.
Blumenthal remarked in a statement:
Our bipartisan legislation will break tech giants’ ironclad grip on the app economy. For years, Apple and Google have acted as gatekeepers, building up anticompetitive walls to squash their competition and drive up costs for consumers. This much-needed measure will create a fairer, more competitive app marketplace that will benefit mobile users and developers alike. Leveling the playing field for startups and smaller tech companies to join the app economy will spur innovation, lower prices, and give consumers choice.
The Open App Markets Act seek to protect mobile app users by:
- Protecting sideloading of apps.
- Promoting competition by the opening the market to third-party app stores.
- Giving users greater control of their devices.
- Preventing app store developers from disadvantaging developers.
- Establishing safeguards to preserve consumer privacy, security, and safety.
Lee said in a statement:
The Open App Markets Act is essential for restoring competition to the mobile ecosystem. Big Tech platforms are controlling market access and extracting excessive fees to stifle competition. Our bill will allow developers to innovate and reach consumers by draining the moat that has isolated Big Tech from competing based on merit.
Several technology and consumer advocacy groups backed the legislation, including Spotify, The American Economic Liberties Project, American Principles Project, Epic Games, Digital First Project, the Foundation for American Innovation, Proton, and Y Combinator.
An Apple spokesperson said in a statement to 9 to 5 Mac:
We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted experience our users love and a fantastic business opportunity for developers in the U.S. and around the world. We face intense competition everywhere we operate, and we are proud to be an engine for innovation and economic growth.
The spokesperson continued, “We are concerned this EU-style regulation will open our users to new privacy and security risks, and will continue to advocate on their behalf.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
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