Pre-Market Review of AI Is Concerning
The New York Times Reporting of the White House’s Interest Raises Red Flags for Startups and Small Tech Companies WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commenting on today’s reporting by The New York Times, Morgan Reed, president of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT): "Appropriate oversight is reasonable, and the White House struck the balance between accountability and flexibility in its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence. We should be relying on existing law, like the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Unfair or Deceptive [...]
Building for Tomorrow, Today
This week we're starting a return to our official name, Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), and moving away from the unofficial moniker “the App Association” that we’ve used as shorthand to describe our membership and our work. The world is experiencing a transformative surge in technological innovation from artificial intelligence to internet of things to quantum computing. And our members have always been on the leading edge of innovation, recognizing and building for the next great field of [...]
CHATBOT Act Presents Beginnings of a Workable Protection Framework for Kids
By Empowering Parents and Narrowly Defining the Tools Covered WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today’s introduction of the CHATBOT Act by Senators Cruz, Schatz, Curtis, and Schiff represents a good faith effort to keep our kids safe when interacting with open-ended chatbots or AI companions. “The CHATBOT Act proposal is a workable start to addressing a critical issue of kids’ safety,” said Morgan Reed, president of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT). “How many examples have we seen in the news [...]
Digital Markets Act Report is Missed Opportunity
Commission’s Review Focuses on Cosmetics Rather Than Substance BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The Digital Markets Act (DMA) Review Report represents a missed opportunity to take stock of the DMA's broader impact on the EU digital economy. The Commission's report focuses on surface issues rather than conducting a thorough analysis of the impact, especially for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Commenting on the review, Mike Sax, founder and chairperson of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) said: [...]
ACTivists for Change: Small Tech’s 2026 Policy Priorities
Right now, policymakers around the world are setting their 2026 agendas on the same core questions: how to protect consumers online, how to govern AI responsibly without stifling innovation, how to strengthen privacy and security, and how to drive economic growth. From Brussels to London to Washington, across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region, and through booming tech hubs in Latin America (LATAM), Africa, and the Middle East, the policy goals often align, even when compliance requirements do not. [...]
Policymakers Can Protect Children Without Breaking the Internet
Earlier this month, a legal clock ran out in Europe. On 3 April 2026, interpersonal communication services operating in the European Union lost key legal clarity that has, until now, allowed them to voluntarily detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The temporary derogation from the ePrivacy Directive, the legislation that gave services a clear legal basis to act, has expired. The measure was always intended as a stopgap, set to expire in April 2026, on the [...]