Latest news with #KareemGhanem
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas becomes second state to require app store age verification
(NewsNation) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the Texas App Store Accountability Act, mandating that Apple and Google verify the age of users on their app stores. The law, set to take effect on January 1, requires parental consent for users under 18 to download apps or make in-app purchases. The law follows similar legislation passed earlier this year in Utah and reflects growing concern over children's access to digital platforms. Violent NYC crypto robbery reflects growing global trend Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, along with Snap and X, praised the bill's passage. 'Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it, and more than one-third of US states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play,' the companies said, according to Reuters. However, Apple and Google opposed the law, arguing that it requires them to share age data with all apps, even those that pose no risk. 'If enacted, app marketplaces will be required to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it's an app that simply provides weather updates or sports scores,' Apple said in a statement. How AI is shaping industries across the US According to Reuters, both companies have proposed alternatives that would limit data sharing to only apps that require age verification. 'We see a role for legislation here,' Kareem Ghanem, senior director of government affairs and public policy at Google, told Reuters. 'It's just got to be done in the right way, and it's got to hold the feet of Zuckerberg and the social media companies to the fire, because it's the harm to kids and teens on those sites that's really inspired people to take a closer look here and see how we can all do better.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
App stores are set to verify ages under a new Utah law — and Meta, Snap, and X are thrilled
Utah just passed a law that would make app stores verify user ages instead of individual apps. Apple and Google would have to get parental consent before minors can download certain apps in the state. Meta, Snap, and X praised the bill. Google and Apple have said it raises privacy concerns. Utah just became the first state to pass a law that makes app stores — rather than individual apps — responsible for verifying user ages. Google and Apple, the tech giants behind the two main app stores, have opposed the bill. But Meta, Snap, and X have praised the law, which Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed on Wednesday. The App Store Accountability Act, also known as S.B. 142, is set to take effect on May 7 — but is expected to face legal challenges. It requires Apple and Google to confirm the age of anyone who creates an account in Utah. If that person is under 18, the account must be linked to a parent or verified with extra documentation. Parents must also approve in-app purchases. The law represents a major shift in how states regulate child safety online. Instead of directly targeting social media companies, lawmakers in Utah have focused on the gatekeepers: app stores. Supporters say the law gives parents more centralized control over what their kids can download, a change that major social media companies have been pushing for. Meta, Snap, and X — three companies under growing pressure to protect teens online — welcomed the law in a joint statement on Wednesday. "Parents want a one-stop-shop to oversee and approve the many apps their teens want to download, and Utah has led the way in centralizing it within a device's app store," they said. "This approach spares users from repeatedly submitting personal information to countless individual apps and online services."The verification bill is the latest in a long-running turf war between Meta and Apple over data practices, platform control, and even smart glasses. Meta has pushed for app stores to take the lead on age restrictions, while Apple says it raises privacy concerns. Apple wrote in a paper last month that it doesn't want to collect sensitive user data for privacy reasons and that "the right place to address the dangers of age-restricted content online is the limited set of websites and apps that host that kind of content." Google also opposed the bill, warning in a March 12 blog post that it could create unintended risks. "These proposals introduce new risks to the privacy of minors without actually addressing the harms that are inspiring lawmakers to act," wrote Kareem Ghanem, the company's director of public policy. Digital rights groups have raised concerns about how the data used for age verification will be stored and protected. But the Utah bill could open the door for similar efforts across the country. Lawmakers in a dozen other states, including California and South Carolina, are weighing similar proposals. Apple and Google did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider
