The U.S. Senate will consider the Open App Market Act or affect the Apple and Google App Stores

According to Reuters, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider the Open Applied Market Act in a debate on Thursday. If enacted, the bill would impose restrictions on major app markets, including Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store.

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U.S. lawmakers have been trying to reduce the market influence of tech giants in other industries, and the Open App Market Act is an attempt to achieve its goal by cracking down on the app market, and it has so far been unimpeded in the legislative process.

The bill would apply measures such as preventing app stores from allowing developers to make in-app purchases using the store's built-in payment system, while also preventing app store operators from penalizing apps that use different pricing structures through alternative payment platforms, rather than through the app store itself. The bill also includes elements that prevent app marketplaces from using non-public information to compete with third-party entities.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat, called the bill "a way to stop Apple and Google from suppressing competitors and consumer choices, breaking the monolith of these two behemoths against the multibillion-dollar app market, and it's long overdue."

After the announcement, Meghan DiMuzio, executive director of the App Fairness Alliance, issued a statement praising the upcoming debate. "Advancing this legislation sends a clear and unmistakable message that monopolistic control over the application ecosystem is no longer acceptable." He argues that the bill "directly addresses the anti-competitive policies of app store vendors to the detriment of developers and consumers, that government action is necessary to bring competition to the digital marketplace, and that janitors cannot be trusted to voluntarily self-discipline." ”

Apple had tried to thwart the bill, and the tech giant-backed lobby group Chamber of Progress fought back in August. "I haven't seen any consumers marching in Washington asking Congress to make their smartphones dumber. Congress has better things to do than to meddle in multimillion-dollar disputes between businesses. The group's chief executive, Adam Kovačević, said at the time.

Apple also made changes to app store policies after a developer lawsuit in September 2021, but that was clearly not enough to appease lawmakers. In October, the U.S. Senate first introduced another bill designed to prevent store operators from promoting their own services in search results rather than competitors. (Proofreading/Seven-Seven)