U.S. Lawmakers Take Issue With Apple’s Policies For NFTs And Crypto

  • Apple has been asked to disclose the App Store’s policies surrounding the treatment of crypto applications.
  • Two members of the U.S. Congress wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook seeking info on the App Store.
  • The lawmakers also raised concerns about the impact of Apple’s policies on America’s technological leadership.

Members of the United States Congress have taken aim at tech giant Apple for the seemingly restrictive guidelines followed by its iOS App Store. The lawmakers raised concerns about the impact of the App Store’s policy for crypto-related applications on the broader blockchain space of the country.

In a bipartisan initiative, Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook seeking information about the tech firm’s guidelines for interacting with crypto-related applications on the App Store. The lawmakers also highlighted Apple’s questionable conduct in the context of fair market practices.

According to the letter addressed to Tim Cook, the Congress members asked the Chief Executive to comply with the request for information about App Store’s crypto policies. Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Jan Schakowsky who also happen to be the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Innovation, Data, are looking to determine the impact of Apple’s policies on American leadership in emerging technologies including blockchains, non fungible tokens (NFTs), and other distributed ledger technologies.

The information requested by the lawmakers included disclosure of any plans to develop an application using blockchain technology, App Store’s

policy on foreign users, the platform’s prioritization of users, and other relevant factors affecting the treatment of crypto-related applications in the platform.

“It is essential that Congress fully understand the App Store Guidelines and the extent these guidelines limit innovation and American technology leadership. Apple’s support of innovative new technologies such as blockchains, NFTs, and other distributed ledger technologies could solidify American leadership of these technologies,” the Congress members stated.

The lawmakers also highlighted concerns about Apple’s alleged treatment of competitors in the market. They gave the tech giant till August 14 to respond to their query. Industry leaders including Coinbase’s Paul Grewal and Blockchain Association’s Kristin Smith lauded the bipartisan effort for crypto.

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