![]() ![]() The House Judiciary Committee approved a similar bill in June of last year as part of a six-bill package of antitrust legislation. The company said it also wants to “continue working with the committee to find workable solutions to address competition concerns while protecting consumers’ privacy and security going forward.” Apple said in its letter that senators should add language to the bill that allows for conduct that “increases consumer welfare,” the traditional standard for antitrust enforcement. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to consider the Klobuchar-Grassley bill as soon as this week. and other social media companies for hurting ad revenue, but Apple maintains that the mechanism has seen “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from users. ![]() The company also said that the legislation would put its new App Tracking Transparency feature, which makes users approve whether apps can track them across other apps and websites, “in jeopardy.” The feature has been criticized by Meta Platforms Inc. Critics of the legislation have warned that this would fundamentally change how consumers access popular products like Apple Music, Google Maps and Amazon Prime.Īpple said in the letter that the bills “erect very steep obstacles” for the company to instate new privacy controls. The Klobuchar-Grassley bill would prohibit companies from giving an advantage to their own products over those of smaller competitors that depend on their platforms. Like Alphabet and Inc., Apple has been under scrutiny from governments worldwide about what some consider to be anticompetitive practices. and during speeches from Apple executives, including one from software chief Craig Federighi last year. “We’re deeply concerned about these unintended consequences.”Īpple’s letter includes similar arguments to those made in last year’s trial with Epic Games Inc. “Legislation being debated in the House and Senate could break these and other popular online services, making them less helpful and less secure, and damaging American competitiveness,” Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker said in the blog post. Like Apple, Google said the bills would threaten user security and privacy and end up harming consumers. Although congressional leaders have have focused their attention elsewhere, an antitrust bill aimed at technology giants could become increasingly attractive as other Democratic initiatives stall and the window closes to notch legislative wins before November’s midterm elections.Īlphabet Inc.’s Google also criticized the tech-focused antitrust bills on Tuesday, warning in a blog post about the impact on popular products such as Google Search and Gmail. There is bipartisan momentum for passing legislation that would address the market power of the biggest U.S. It would make it difficult or impossible for Apple to collect its 15% to 30% App Store commission, and it would disrupt the company’s privacy and security stance. If the bill were to become law, sideloading would upset key elements of Apple’s business model. The first bill mentioned in the letter-legislation sponsored by Klobuchar and Grassley-would require some changes to dominant tech platforms that Apple says would allow iPhone and iPad users to install apps outside of the App Store, a process known as sideloading. “Unfortunately, that is what these bills would do.” “After a tumultuous year that witnessed multiple controversies regarding social media, whistle-blower allegations of long-ignored risks to children, and ransomware attacks that hobbled critical infrastructure, it would be ironic if Congress responds by making it much harder to protect the privacy and security of Americans’ personal devices,” Tim Powderly, Apple’s senior director of government affairs, said in the letter. The letter, which was obtained by Bloomberg News, underscores Apple’s continued push to protect its App Store from government oversight and changes that would disrupt its business model. On Tuesday, Apple sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, the panel’s ranking Republican Chuck Grassley, Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar, and the subcommittee’s ranking Republican, Mike Lee. ![]()
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