Apple Still Not Grooving on Revised American Choice and Innovation Act

27 MAY 2022 - Senator Amy Klobuchar has revised her proposed American Choice and Innovation Act [PDF]. A piece from MacRumors says:

The updates make it easier for Apple to defend privacy changes that it implements, but Apple would still be required to demonstrate that each change is “reasonably tailored and reasonably necessary” and that it could not be achieved in another “materially less discriminatory” way.

You might think that that would be a dealbreaker as far as Apple’s concerned, but the deal’s actually already broken. The revised proposal would still require Apple to allow sideloading of apps, and you can guess what the company thinks of that. Or they could tell you. After singing the praises of the system its built, a statement from Apple to MacRumors says:

We remain concerned that this legislation threatens to break this model and undermine the privacy and security protections our users depend on. Governments and international agencies worldwide have explicitly advised against sideloading requirements, which would empower bad actors who want to target users--including children--with malware and scams, and make it easier for data-hungry companies to track users without their consent.

Apple goes on to argue that the changes made this week do recognize the “unintended privacy and security vulnerabilities” the original legislation created for users. They don’t do enough though, so - you know - recognize the other ““unintended privacy and security vulnerabilities” created.