Statement: From Morgan Reed, President of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT):
“ACT and our small business members welcome House negotiators’ abandonment of Meta’s damaging App Store Accountability Act (ASAA) as part of the proposed bipartisan kids’ safety package.
“By steering clear of ASAA, lawmakers appropriately rejected a misguided approach that would have fundamentally compromised America’s thriving digital ecosystem without effectively addressing the root causes of online safety issues.
“ACT strongly encourages the Senate to follow the House’s lead and leave ASAA out of the legislative process on kids’ safety and artificial intelligence. Both chambers of Congress must recognize the severe flaws in Meta’s proposal and ensure it does not advance any further.
“Instead of pursuing additional fragmented and flawed mandates, Congress should refocus its efforts on passing a comprehensive federal privacy law. A unified national privacy framework would set a single standard that everyone must comply with. This approach is the most effective way to streamline enforcement and accountability, while keeping the flames of innovation alight and fully aligning with the privacy and safety expectations of American consumers.”