OPINION — Over time, a select few Big Tech companies have quietly normalized their dominance of app distribution, and Americans have largely accepted it.
Apple is the clearest example: The App Store is the only authorized channel through which iPhone users can download apps, giving Apple unchecked control over which developers succeed, what fees they pay, the margins they make and what child-safety protections are or are not deployed.
Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack’s App Store Freedom Act seeks to restore competition to digital marketplaces by addressing app-store monopolies at their source. If enacted, consumers could benefit from lower prices, stronger safety protections and more innovative technologies. To understand why this legislation matters, it is important to understand the scope of Apple’s control.
