House members Gus Bilirakis, a Florida Republican and Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat, have asked Apple executives for details: does the AppStore’s app store policy violate antitrust requirements? Last fall, Apple updated its app placement rules to prohibit the use of NFTs to access new content. Lawmakers fear that by limiting the functionality of Web3 applications, the company is intentionally limiting user choice and stifling innovation.
The policymakers cited a situation where the developers of the popular NFT game Axie Infinity were allowed to list it on the App Store for Latin America and Southeast Asia, but not for U.S. citizens. And in 2022, Apple forced cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase to disable transactions involving collectible tokens on all iOS devices.
So lawmakers believe it’s crucial that Congress understand the AppStore’s principles: how much do they limit innovation and U.S. leadership in technological developments? The congressmen fear that Apple’s policies could stifle competition and negatively impact the U.S. image in blockchain and Web3. Apple’s CEO must respond to the parliamentarians’ request by Aug. 14.
Earlier, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple in which victims accused the company of putting fake cryptocurrency wallet apps on the App Store.