Overview
- Apple CEO Tim Cook met privately with House Energy and Commerce members to oppose the App Store Accountability Act, arguing age verification should rely on parents rather than collecting sensitive IDs.
- The App Store Accountability Act would require app stores to verify user ages at account creation and associate minor accounts with a parent, with parental permissions for minors’ downloads.
- The subcommittee sent 18 bills to the full committee, including its version of the Kids Online Safety Act and the app-store verification measure, with a full committee vote possible next month.
- Leaders signaled they will proceed despite Apple’s objections, with Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis describing bipartisan support and saying the panel is moving ahead.
- Lawmakers clashed over preemption in the revised KOSA and COPPA 2.0 bills, and sponsors criticized the exclusion of an App Store Freedom Act, while Chair Brett Guthrie acknowledged meeting Cook but said the markup agenda was set beforehand.