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21h ago

App Makers Form Coalition to Push Age Verification Responsibility onto Apple and Google

Meta, Spotify, and Match Group lead lobbying effort for federal and state laws requiring app stores to manage age checks, challenging current app developer responsibilities.

The Meta Platforms Inc. pavilion
A man takes a photo at Meta (formerly Facebook) corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, California on Nov. 9, 2022. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. John James
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Overview

  • The Coalition for a Competitive Mobile Experience, led by Meta, Spotify, and Match Group, seeks to shift age verification duties from app developers to app stores like Apple's and Google's.
  • Utah's March 2025 law requiring app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent has spurred similar federal proposals now being drafted.
  • The coalition also supports ongoing DOJ antitrust cases against Apple and Google, criticizing their high commissions and restrictive app store policies.
  • Apple and Google oppose the proposed shift, arguing that app developers are better positioned to handle age verification and warning of potential privacy risks.
  • Antitrust lawyer Brandon Kressin is directing the coalition, leveraging ties to key figures in Biden’s antitrust enforcement team to advocate for regulatory changes.