Support As of June 13, 2022, the Senate version of the legislation, introduced by Blumenthal, has been co-sponsored by eleven senators. The House companion bill introduced by Johnson, H.R.5017, has seven co-sponsors. Ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote, the Open App Markets Act received support from the CEOs of 20 tech companies, including
Spotify. A poll conducted by the
Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) found that 84% of app developers surveyed supported the legislation. The
American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), an anti-monopoly organization, urged lawmakers to pass the legislation. In January 2022, a coalition of
Chinese human rights activists and advocacy organizations wrote to the
Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the legislation. Signatories to the legislation include
Yang Jianli, a former
Tiananmen Square activist, the
Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), and
Tibetan rights groups. The activists argued that:"If we were allowed to provide apps outside of the censored App Store, also known as
sideloading, we would be able finally offer Chinese communities with tools to defeat the
Great Firewall, such as
Ultrasurf,
Psiphon, and
FreeGate."
Opposition Both Apple and Google publicly opposed the legislation, with Google vice president Mark Isakowitz arguing the bill would "destroy many consumer benefits that current payment systems provide and distort competition by exempting gaming platforms, which amounts to Congress trying to artificially pick winners and losers in a highly competitive marketplace.” The
Chamber of Progress, a tech industry trade group, criticized the bill on user security grounds, arguing that the sideloading provisions of the legislation posed a threat to consumers. Despite voting to advance the legislation in the committee,
California Democrat
Dianne Feinstein expressed concern that the legislation would disproportionately impact Apple and Google, both of which are headquartered in her state. == Legislative history ==