What you need to know
- New legislation in the U.S. seeks to radically change the way Apple and Google run their app stores.
- A group that counts both companies as members says the move is a "finger in the eye" to iPhone and Android users.
- The Chamber of Progress says it is a new center-left tech industry organization.
A new "center-left tech industry organization" called the Chamber of Progress, which counts Apple and Google amongst its primary members, says that new legislation aimed at the iOS App Store and Google Play on Android are a "finger in the eye" to customers of both.
A new bipartisan bill announced earlier this week could blow open iOS by forcing Apple to let users sideload apps, and prevent them from channeling developers and customers through its own in-app purchase channels.
Now, the Chamber of Progress, which counts Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Lyft, and more has spoken out against the move. In a statement, the group's CEO Adam Kovacevich said "This bill is a finger in the eye of anyone who bought an iPhone or Android because the phones and their app stores are safe, reliable, and easy to use," adding "I don't see any consumers marching in Washington demanding that Congress make their smartphones dumber. And Congress has better things to do than intervene in a multi-million dollar dispute between businesses."
In a press release, the group stated that new legislation would mandate "that phone and tablet makers allow the installation of risky third-party app stores and the use of alternative payment systems", claiming the new measures "would erode the security, trust, and convenience that consumers value in app stores and mobile devices." The group also noted that the bill "takes the side of companies like Epic Games, Spotify, and Tile in their legal and lobbying battles against Apple and Google — which shouldn't be a top priority for policymakers."
The Chamber of Progress, fighting to protect the current status quo of platforms like Apple's iOS App Store, seems intent on positioning the new legislation as the government taking the side of companies like Epic Games, currently locked in a legal dispute over the App Store, with a ruling on the matter expected any day now.
