White House AI Executive Order Not as Bad as It Could be
Reinforces Need for Congressional Action on Comprehensive Framework WASHINGTON, D.C. – Responding to today’s White House Executive Order (EO) “Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security” establishing: A process to strengthen the cybersecurity and defence of government systems against AI threats to protect national security, and A voluntary process for developers of covered frontier AI models to coordinate with the federal government prior to broader deployment The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) acknowledges that the EO tries to prevent [...]
How the SECURE Data Act Would Help Small Businesses Compete and Comply
As more states enact and expand their comprehensive privacy laws, small businesses must navigate an increasingly complex and fragmented regulatory landscape that pulls resources away from innovation, hiring, and growth. Against this backdrop, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Privacy Working Group recently released the Securing and Establishing Consumer Uniform Rights and Enforcement over Data Act (SECURE Data Act, H.R. 8413), a consensus-based bill that would preempt state laws with a uniform national standard and establish a voluntary code [...]
Open Access, Closed Doors: How DMA Threatens Android’s AI Agent Balancing Efforts
Among the various Digital Markets Act (DMA) provisions the European Commission (Commission) is implementing, the “Interoperability” obligation is especially consequential for small business innovators. The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) has voiced concerns with unfettered open access mandates on platforms and operating systems, commenting on the associated implementation records. In the most recent implementation, the Commission has proposed extreme open access mandates on Android with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) services operating on the platform. AI agents have the [...]
Developers Reach a Port in the DMA Storm
The European Commission's ongoing implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) has produced a flood of proposals threatening the very safeguards that keep digital marketplaces and operating systems secure. For ACT members, among the most alarming are measures that would gut the access management functions major operating systems rely on to protect privacy, security, and intellectual property. Compounding the problem: opportunities to push back have been scarce, leaving critical concerns without a proper hearing. There is, however, a meaningful [...]
Startups and SMEs Take London: GAEC UK 2026
ACT’s Annual Global App Economy Conferences (GAECs) bring our startup and tech members together for three days of founder-to-founder networking and direct engagement with policymakers. GAECs are the culmination of what we do at ACT, bringing our three pillars together in one event that fosters Community, provides resources and Education, and creates an opportunity for our startup, scaleup, and small business members to engage directly in Advocacy. Throughout the year, ACT hosts three GAECs: one in the EU, one [...]