As part of privacy concerns over TikTok, Florida’s Attorney General is pushing Apple and Google to warn customers when they are about to download an app that is “foreign developed and owned.” In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Attorney General Ashely Moore said Apple needs to take “take immediate action” on this matter.
In the letter to Cook, Moore writes:
Consumers have a right to know if these countries are related to the origination, development, or ownership of these applications. Informing consumers of this foreign-based status allows consumers to decide whether or not they want to subject themselves, or this country, to the inherent and increased risks associated with such foreign applications.
Adding an App Store designation for these foreign applications would provide consumers with the incredibly important information they need to make a fully informed decision prior to downloading such apps.
“I strongly urge you to take immediate action and add this designation to the App Store so that consumers can make informed decisions about their personal information and application experiences,” Moore continues.
As part of her reasoning for why Apple needs to add these alerts, Moore points to recent “spy balloons from China.” And of course, there’s a comment about algorithmic timelines and “other in-app experiences.”
“Such disclaimers would also serve to protect consumers from exposure to other harms, including algorithmic content amplification and other in-app experiences,” Moore writes.
9to5Mac’s Take
Top comment by Ottis Fletcher
I think a popup disrupting the flow of the App Store that needs dismissed is too far however having a line for the country of origin in the information section towards the bottom of the page is not only acceptable but also welcome. As consumers from all countries we should have non intrusive information about companies we give our data and money to.
Putting aside concerns over TikTok privacy and security, this is just a bizarre and overly broad demand that’s a blatant ploy for attention. There’s zero chance Apple is going to add a pop-up to the App Store that alerts users when they download an app from anywhere that’s not the United States.
Not to mention, Apple already has robust privacy protections in place via the App Store. Its Privacy Nutrition Labels, for example, offer users an in-depth look at what data apps collect.
Read the full letter below.
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