ACT criticizes California AB 1043 over app developer liability concerns

ACT criticizes California AB 1043 over app developer liability concerns

Technology
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Morgan Reed Executive Director of The App Association (ACT) | The App Association (ACT)

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ACT | The App Association has voiced criticism over California's recent legislative proposal, Assembly Bill 1043, known as the Digital Age Assurance Act. The bill places the responsibility for any potential harm to children, resulting from social media use, on app stores and small app developers.

Morgan Reed, President of ACT | The App Association, stated, "To effectively protect our children online, policy options must work in the real world, not just in theory. Proposals such as AB 1043, that put the liability for potential harms to children that result from the use of social media on app stores and small business app developers, would not be effective in protecting the most vulnerable internet users."

Reed believes the bill would protect social media platforms with questionable practices, while adding compliance costs to smaller app developers. "California Assembly Bill 1043 would shield applications and services with a history of malfeasance and shift liability and compliance costs to small app companies via hardware and the app stores," Reed added. "This legislation is based on a misguided belief that a variety of effective parental controls for smart devices do not already exist."

ACT argues that the bill would disrupt existing parental controls, complicating processes for developers and parents. "This proposal would likely enmesh the effective tools that are currently available for parents in a tangle of complicated compliance processes and bureaucratic red tape." Additionally, Reed asserts this broad policy could stifle innovation among small businesses in California, negatively affecting the state's tech industry reputation.

Reed further advised that "the California Assembly should focus on holding the right actors accountable — not punishing the builders of safe, educational, and values-driven applications that improve our lives and help families thrive."

The App Association represents small to medium-sized tech companies globally, advocating for a policy environment fostering innovation, with resources for entrepreneurship, job creation, and technology development. More details can be found on their website.

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