Antitrust and Privacy Part 1: The Market for Privacy on Mobile Platforms
It’s often said that privacy means different things to different people. But increasingly, policymakers, courts—and most importantly, consumers—are seeing privacy, in its shifting forms, as a tangible benefit with real value. For example, mobile software platforms (app store / operating system combinations) recently introduced additional controls for smartphone owners, enabling them to limit the ability for one app to track their activities across other apps. Apple’s version of the feature is called App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which has been available [...]
ACT | The App Association congratulates the Honorable Laurie Locascio on her recent confirmation as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
ACT | The App Association congratulates the Honorable Laurie Locascio on her recent confirmation as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Under Director Locascio’s leadership, the App Association recommends NIST continue to prioritize standards, cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and other areas that will support U.S. public and private efforts to identify, understand, refine, and guide technology innovation, particularly in underserved communities. NIST can enable all small business innovators to succeed by helping to eliminate disparities [...]
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 [...]
ACT | The App Association congratulates the Honorable Katherine Vidal on her recent confirmation as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and makes recommendations for USPTO action needed to support American small business innovators
ACT | The App Association congratulates the Honorable Katherine Vidal on her recent confirmation as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The App Association represents thousands of small business software application development companies and technology firms across the mobile economy that rely on the ability to protect their intellectual property rights (whether in licensing or in litigation) in a predictable environment. Patents and trademarks allow small business innovators to protect investments, attract venture capital, establish a position [...]
Coding a Recap Missed ACT | The App Association’s “Coding a Career” event at LSU? Never fear, our recap is here!
At the end of March, ACT | The App Association co-hosted an event at Louisiana State University (LSU) titled “Coding a Career,” focused on giving students actionable insight around how to turn their computer science skills, interest in the app economy, and general curiosity about entrepreneurship into a career. The event, which included two panel discussions and a keynote address from Veneeth Iyengar, the first executive director for broadband development and connectivity for the state of Louisiana, kicked off with [...]
Give Small Developers A Chance, Not Higher Barriers to Entry
Open and fair competition in the digital marketplace drives our members’ success, but the proposals in the Open App Markets Act will hinder our small business members’ opportunity for continued prosperity. When the largest sellers on the app stores, with multi-billion-dollar valuations, come to Congress with proposals to reshape the mobile marketplace to suit their needs, policymakers should be rather skeptical. We urge Congress not to sacrifice consumers' most important privacy and security protections--and with them, the competitive prospects of [...]