What will happen to Apple and Google with regards to making additional alterations to the App Store based on fresh laws from Texas? Now, what is it?
The passage of aforementioned Texas law coincided with the new novelty of SB 2422-the App Store Accountability Act-becoming law by the Texas state legislators. Both company are at a disadvantage according to a federal district court ruling where Apple and Google are not allowed to do anything concerning the App Store. The law applies quite specifically to the industry as regards age verification of App Store users and parental consent for minors to access it.
New Texas Law: Goals and Effects
With a goal to have that most important legal protection event for children against undesired i-apps purchases, Texas law, in fact:
App stores and developers will truly check the age of users,
An 18-year-old or younger will not be able to download apps or purchases, in most cases, without his or her parent's or guardian's approval.
These changes really create big ripples among today's tech companies competing for even more public censuring regarding the collection of personal information and parental consent, along with introducing a whole new era of embedding privacy protection in online applications.
The Ruling: The First Amendment and Reasons Behind
The observation of the federal judge is that the Texas law would probably violate the First Amendment. A judge accepted that the law was very much drafted in too broad and strict terms to deny particular classes of persons access to expression over the Internet.
She further pointed out in her reasoning that verification of age would terribly inconvenience all intending to access this store and very well can be construed burdensome by violation of U.S. Constitutional provisions.
What Did Apple and Google Say?
In the meanwhile, Apple shall suspend any implementation of new Texas-specific rules while it waits for legal proceedings over the law. This is partly due to some developer resources that have been built for the age assurance or age verification issues but will remain available for testing use with developers
If SEB law had the loudest critics with Apple, the latter contends that they advocate children's online safety, and thus, will be consistent in advocating for matters of privacy and data-gathering.
Well, Google was truly happy about this because now it can apply all of its virtual stores from the leg of Google Play.
What Will Follow?
Some would describe this as a slow repeal act show from the Attorney General of Texas, and thus, lawfare goes eternal. New laws like these mature slowly, steaming away from all other states at war such as Utah and Louisiana, and soon we could wake to one massive controversy even bigger than this one.
So, the law, in brief, says:
Apple and Google have now decided to suspend changes for the time being.
Legal fights will most certainly see a future for either or both.
The debate about online safety for children against privacy may yet see a few more rounds.
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