AICOA changes
Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Grassley introduced an updated version of their bill today that attempts to control the anti-competitive behavior of large platforms. I asked Codex to download previous versions of the bill so I could understand the changes in the latest version. Here’s the text of the report it generated for me.
I’m mostly interested from the App Store perspective. It doesn’t seem to explicitly allow sideloading or external payments. It focuses more on whether a company like Apple can build features that are impossible to substitute with third-party versions. Very relevant to the Siri AI fight with the EU.
Mozilla blogged about it too:
AICOA would help limit the ability of operating systems to steer users toward affiliated products through deceptive design choices. Ensuring meaningful user choice online is not just about variety; it reflects values and individual preferences. Openness and innovation thrives when the web is built around platforms that serve people, not the other way round.
Even if I wish that more details were spelled out, so that we avoid the vagueness of the EU’s DMA, it’s at least good to have a document that can guide courts beyond decades-old antitrust law.
