Into the Metaverse: The Money and Motivations Behind Meta’s App Store Gambit
In May 2025, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative John James (R-MI) introduced the App Store Accountability Act (ASAA), a bill that would require app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for users under 18. Meta has bankrolled a wildly expensive lobbying campaign to enact ASAA and its state-level analogs, and instead of recoiling in horror at taking kid privacy advice from Meta, some lawmakers are credulously going along with it. And what state legislators and members [...]
Antitrust Policy for Small Tech and Their Online Marketplaces
Recently confirmed member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Mark Meador made waves with the publication of the philosophy behind his approach to antitrust in “Antitrust Policy for the Conservative.” After succinctly summarizing historical conceptions of antitrust policy such as the small government Chicago School and the big government Neo-Brandeisian movement, Meador articulates a path somewhere in between. Unfortunately, his proposed dial-turning would likely do more harm than good to small app companies, especially as it would apply to their [...]
Back On the Road with Developed
This summer, ACT | The App Association is bringing back our Developed Tour and heading across Europe! Developed: EU will be a six-week series of events focused on empowering tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), building community, and connecting local innovation with global digital policy. From Rome to Brussels, we’re partnering with members, embassies, accelerators, and ecosystem leaders to bring together founders, policymakers, and investors for meaningful conversations about scaling in a shifting regulatory environment. Whether you’re a startup [...]
Event Recap: Global App Economy Conference: United States
For more than two decades, ACT | The App Association has been bringing our U.S.-based members together in Washington, D.C., for our Global App Economy Conference (GAEC), formerly known as AppCon. This annual event positions the real-world experiences of small and medium-sized tech companies at the center of the digital policy debate shaping the future of innovation. And so, it is fitting that it was held during National Small Business Week this year, a time when the whole country [...]