The Open Markets Act, an antitrust measure that would allow for sideloading and other app stores, will be debated by the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s chief of government affairs in the Americas, Tim Powderly, submitted a letter to committee members before of the meeting encouraging them to reject the measure. Powderly reiterated a privacy and security point about the perils of sideloading that Apple officials have made many times previously. Also Face ID With a Mask: Does It Work and What You Need to Know
Sideloading would enable bad actors to evade Apple’s privacy and security protections by distributing apps without critical privacy and security checks. These provisions would allow malware, scams and data-exploitation to proliferate.
He also stated that Apple is “very worried” that the law in its present form will “make it easier for huge social media sites to sidestep Apple’s App Store’s pro-consumer standards.”
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, another antitrust law presented in June 2021, has already been reviewed by the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, which Apple has also spoken out against. Despite Apple’s protestations, the measure was approved and will now be debated on the Senate floor. The Open Markets Act is expected to join it.