The North Dakota State Senate has voted against a bill that would have prevented Apple and Google from demanding third-party developers to use their platforms to distribute apps. This would have allowed developers and users to circumvent the App Store for app downloads and in-app purchases.
As reported by CNET, in an 11-36 vote on Tuesday, legislators rejected the bill that was initially drafted by an Epic Games lobbyist, Lacee Bjork Anderson. The lobbyist was also paid by the Coalition for App Fairness.
Anti-Apple App Store bill shot down by North Dakota senate
The bill would have restricted Apple and Google from requiring a developer to use a digital application distribution platform as the exclusive mode of distributing a digital product. In addition to this, it would have prevented the tech giants from requiring developers to use in-app purchases as the exclusive mode of accepting payment from a user.
After many people started speculating about Epic Games’ involvement with the bill, its CEO Tim Sweeney took to support the bill but put the rumors of any entanglement in the bill to rest.
“North Dakota’s effort to combat app store monopolies is awesome for consumers and developers. The Coalition for App Fairness organized the outreach, lobbying, and developer participation. Can’t take credit for it, but Epic is proud to be a part of it!”
Apple had fought against the bill, saying that its changes would “destroy the iPhone as you know it.” Apple’s Chief Privacy Engineer Erik Neuenschwander said that the bill threatened the privacy, security, safety, and performance of iPhone.
“The bill threatens to destroy the iPhone as you know it by forcing measures that would undermine the privacy, security, safety, and performance that is built into iPhone by design. Apple works hard to keep the bad apps out of the App Store and the bill could require then to let them in.”
As per the report, Apple and Epic did not respond to a request for comment and Google declined.
via CNET
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