Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, the Republican Governor of Texas, launched Greg Abbott to pressure the Child Safety Law currently under study in the state.
Cook arrived in Abbott last week and asked him to make changes on the bill – or the veto fully against it, according to the Wall Street Journal on Friday, referring to familiar sources in the matter.
Legislation from Apple and Google and other application store operators will require the age of devices users and obtain permission from parents before allowing downloads.
The iPhone and other major technology makers claim that the bill requires collecting very invasive data and will endanger the user's privacy.
The draft law has already passed the legislative body of the state of Texas by a majority resistance-but Abbott did not say whether to sign it in the law.
“Safety and privacy via the Internet for Texas children is still a priority for the ruler Abbott,” said the press secretary of the ruler Andrew Mahris in a statement. “The ruler will carefully review this legislation, as he does with any legislation that is sent to his office.”
When it was reached for the comment, Apple spokesman refused to comment on the report.
However, the spokesperson said that Apple “is very concerned about (legislation) SB2420 threatens the privacy of all users.”
“If he is yearned, the application markets will be asked to collect personal and sensitive identification information for each Texas who wants to download an application, even if it is an application that simply provides weather updates or sports scores,” the spokesman said in a statement. “We believe that there are better proposals that help maintain the safety of children without asking millions of people to deliver their personal information.”
Cook's communication with Abbott's office is just a sign of the Big Tech effort to undermine the bill.
Apple and Google funded an interest group that recently bombed the city of Austin with ads claiming that the bill is “supported by pornographic web sites,” according to the magazine.
Joel Thier, the Republican lawyer who wrote the framework of the bill, criticized Apple's attempts to kill the bill despite the wide support he received from the legislators.
“This is just another last attempt to sabotage the democratic vote by the semi -side legislative body that is trying to protect children,” said Thier, who is also the head of the Institute of Digital Progress. “Typical apple.”
Texas will be the second country that introduces the application of the application store accountability. Uta has issued a similar legislation earlier this year, and at least nine states shed its own publications.
