Event Recap: UK Parliament Member Drop-In Day
On 4 December 2024, ACT | The App Association members took their innovative products to the UK Houses of Parliament for our inaugural UK Member Drop-In Day. This event marked a significant step in amplifying our members' voices, ensuring that their businesses and innovations are at the forefront of UK policymakers’ discussions. Below is a recap of our exciting day of small business activation and advocacy. Drop-In Day Highlights Over the course of two hours, we packed as many [...]
The ABC’s of Age Verification in the United States
Part One of ACT | The App Association’s Two-Part Series: The ABCs and 1-2-3s of Age Verification and Compliance Lawmakers across the United States are introducing a wave of age verification and parental consent laws aimed at protecting kids online. While well-intentioned, these state-by-state approaches create a confusing and costly patchwork for startups and independent developers. And, as we have seen in other efforts to use age verification methods, the very people these laws aim to protect often become more [...]
Our New EU Tech Policy Guide is Live
Policy priorities are shifting across the European Union (EU) as new leadership comes onboard in the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the app economy, staying competitive means understanding how these changes impact innovation and growth. Our new EU Tech Policy Guide supports both ACT | The App Association members and policymakers across the EU, offering a clear roadmap of the key issues [...]
The AI Ecosystem: Dynamic, Competitive…and Misunderstood
Reading into the recent rhetoric from some competition authorities, one might come away with the impression that the AI ecosystem is dominated by a handful of companies working to corner the market and entrench their positions. For example, the UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), in its April 2024 report on foundational models expressed concern that incumbent tech companies could heavily steer the direction of AI markets, possibly stifling healthy competition. CMA relies on an arbitrarily narrow view of [...]
Poland’s Leadership in Shaping Europe’s Digital Future
As Poland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the opportunities to shape Europe's digital future are immense. This Presidency offers a unique opportunity to steer EU policies toward fostering a thriving digital ecosystem, one that prioritises the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Poland has earned a reputation as one of the most favourable places in the EU for startups, thanks to its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, favourable policies, skilled workforce, and access to venture [...]