Privacy Must Come First: Competition Without Privacy Protection is Bad for Consumers and Small Businesses

Today, ACT | The App Association released a statement from president Morgan Reed supporting the need for privacy controls:

“Open and fair competition in the digital marketplace drives our members’ success, but the proposals in the Open App Markets Act put consumer privacy at risk and will hinder our small business members’ opportunity for continued prosperity.

“For years we have been calling for Congress to do its job and pass comprehensive privacy legislation. We are pleased to see that some Senators recognize the importance of this and pledge to work with them and their colleagues to get it done. Unfortunately, the proposed legislation, S. 2710, puts the cart before the horse – mandating access to consumer data while not providing for privacy controls.

“Small app developers deserve the ability to compete and continue to deliver innovation, and we value the questions a few of the Senators raise about competition. However, the proposed legislation can only work if and when privacy concerns are addressed first.”