Texas governor Greg Abott signed a law requiring Apple and Google to verify the age of users signing into their app stores. The Texas App Store Accountability Act follows similar legislation that passed in Utah earlier this year, although it requires the app stores to collect even more user data. The tech companies have time till the start of next year to decide how to go about doing this. The bill was passed with supermajority approval by the Texas House and Senate, as part of an ongoing effort to ensure children’s safety online.
Like Utah’s law, this latest law in Texas requires app stores to verify all users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minor users download or make a purchase through an app. They’re also required to share “age categories” — child, young teenager, older teenager or adult — with app developers so that, at least in theory, they can provide safer experiences for young users.
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The Texas law also has an additional requirement — the app stores have to confirm that the parent or guardian approving a minor’s app downloads has the legal authority to make decisions for that child.
App store operators Google and Apple argue that the age verification bills will undermine individual privacy since every user, not just children, would have to provide sensitive data — likely an ID or a scan of their face — to confirm their age, even if they only want to download something like a weather app, where age is irrelevant. The custody rule will also require parents to provide even more personal documentation.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple CEO Tim Cook had personally asked Abbott to consider amending or vetoing the bill. Apple also reportedly hired extra lobbyists and funded targeted ads to try to kill it, alleging the bill poses new privacy risks.
Some legal experts have also raised concerns stating such laws would go against first amendment rights in some situations. Apple and Google have also suggested alternative proposals that would involve a shared responsibility for age verification between app stores and app developers, and sharing age data only with the platforms that need it.