Parents and Kids Need More Resources and Flexibility, Not Games of Liability Hot Potato at the FTC
At the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent workshop, The Attention Economy: How Big Tech Firms Exploit Children and Hurt Families, panelists raised important questions about children’s online safety but offered few practical, evidence-based solutions. Instead, they promoted policies, such as the App Store Accountability Act and similar age verification measures, that misapply fundamental legal principles, raise significant privacy, security, and implementation concerns, and ultimately fail to deliver meaningful protections for children online. First, panelist Melissa McKay’s assertion that app [...]
Bringing the SME Voice to Digital Standards: ACT | The App Association Applies to Join ETSI
We are excited to announce that ACT | The App Association has applied to join the European Telecommunications Standards Institute* (ETSI). This marks an important effort in our work to ensure that the digital standards shaping Europe’s future reflect the voices and needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By seeking to join ETSI, we hope to open the door for our association and members to engage directly in the standardisation processes that underpin critical technologies shaping our digital future, including [...]
Will Disability Access be Undercut by Misguided Digital Platform Regulation?
In April 2025, the World Institute on Disability (WID) released a white paper on accessibility in the app economy space titled Accountability Now: Enforcing Accessibility Standards In the Mobile App Economy. This WID report is remarkable in highlighting how the symbiotic relationship between developers and platforms has bolstered innovation across digital platforms to support consumers with disabilities. The white paper details how, while there has been progress in app and platform accessibility, millions of people with disabilities continue [...]
Always Be Filing: ACT | The App Association Filing Activity for May 2025
Throughout the year, our policy team submits filings with government bodies worldwide to advocate for a regulatory environment that inspires and rewards innovation. From issues around regulating artificial intelligence to digital trade, our team is ACTive on a wide range of topics that could have a positive or negative impact on our small business members driving the app economy. Below is a roundup of our filings from around the globe this past month. Title: Comments of ACT | The [...]