Meta, Spotify, and Match Launch Coalition Against Apple and Google

[coolfactor]

Age verification? No thanks. I'll parent my children myself without forcing everyone in the country to show their "papers" to get on the internet.

Ironically, that's part of the problem. Even with common sense guidelines and tools in place, many "parents" let their kids do whatever they want with digital devices.

How is a child's age to be verified, though? Sounds like a data-hoarding risk to me.

 

[repoman016]

Hurry, someone catch me up on why we hate Spotify. I've been with them over 10 years and have no plans on leaving. Spare me on the artists make no money argument. I don't care

 

[WarmWinterHat]

We can't see you anyways, you can say you use whatever you want.

That's a pretty rude response. I use DDG, and have for years instead of Google; it's a good search engine that doesn't customize your results based on individual algorithms.

What is so hard to believe?

Ironically, that's part of the problem. Even with common sense guidelines and tools in place, many "parents" let their kids do whatever they want with digital devices.

How is a child's age to be verified, though? Sounds like a data-hoarding risk to me.

Not sure, but there is talk in Washington of making it a requirement, and putting the tech companies on the legal hook for it.

 

[Rychiar]

minors have access to the internet... ie, all the porn in the world... 🤷‍♂️

 

[mzeb]

Here’s the part that makes me really skeptical of this coalition: they all can be accessed through the web which means they’d have to do age verification themselves anyway. If they have to do it anyway why do this unless they’re lobbying for something else…like lower App Store fees…this feels a bit dishonest…

 

[sw1tcher]

The coalition's members argue that Apple and Google, as gatekeepers of the iOS App Store and Google Play Store respectively, are best positioned to implement uniform age verification protocols across devices and markets. By contrast, Apple and Google have maintained that responsibility should lie with individual app developers, who are directly collecting and processing user data within their apps.

A Triumvirate of "Loser" companies.

I will never subscribe to Spotify again. I detest their CEO and thus the company.

I would abandon Facebook tomorrow if there existed a credible competitor. I am actively De-Googling my life.

Apple is not perfect but I trust them a hell of a lot more than the aforementioned companies.

Why are you upset then if you trust Apple "a hell of a lot more than the aforementioned companies?"

These companies want Apple to be the ones responsible for verifying a users age.

If you trust Apple more than those companies, wouldn't you agree with them that it's better to have Apple do the verifying?

As I said before, I'd rather do a one-time verification with Apple than having to verify with each individual app because who knows what those app developers will do with you data afterwards.

 

[Light_of_Consciousness]

#1 The app stores aren't sufficient for age verification. The apps collecting the data needs to do their own verification, otherwise garbage in garbage out..

And then this was priceless:"Beyond age verification, the coalition aims to highlight broader concerns over Apple's app distribution practices. These include the company's 15–30% commission on digital transactions, mandatory use of its in-app purchase system, and restrictions on alternative app marketplaces or payment methods."

This little Axis of Crybabies wants Apple and Google to incur the costs and resources of implementing age verification for free to apps using the app stores. OK.

 

[coolfactor]

GO META! Interesting Epic was not involved. Hope they can REMOVE the 15-30% in-app purchase fees! A joke Apple gets 15-30% of in-app purchases and requires developers to use their system. I would happily pay with Apple Pay or Paypal instead for in-app purchases and pay 2% fees for in-app purchases. More money should go to the developers that make these great apps! Not the STORE that NEVER improves, seriously anyone name three things the "App Store" app has done that is innovative? Nothing. It's a self-created scam!

A store is a store, though. Costs money to run. Staff, technology, bandwidth. Why should Apple pay for this stuff from revenue outside the store?

I agree that 15-30% is high for such a high-volume operation, but many (most?) are free apps that don't pay anything.

The App Store has evolved every year. That can't be denied. What "innovation" are you looking for?

 

[DesignTime]

Maybe it’s the ISP fault too? Or maybe the parents who purchased the devices? Or maybe the retail stores that sell the devices?

 

[zahuh]

A store is a store, though. Costs money to run. Staff, technology, bandwidth. Why should Apple pay for this stuff from revenue outside the store?

I agree that 15-30% is high for such a high-volume operation, but many (most?) are free apps that don't pay anything.

The App Store has evolved every year. That can't be denied. What "innovation" are you looking for?

Visa runs just fine making billions off 2-3% fees no company needs 30%/15% of EVERY developers revenue to run a store

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Let's not pretend this is about anything other than the App Store commission.

No kidding! 😆

 

[repoman016]

Visa runs just fine making billions off 2-3% fees no company needs 30%/15% of EVERY developers revenue to run a store

"In the latest fiscal year, Apple's revenue significantly outpaced Visa's, with Apple reporting $391 billion in global revenue compared to Visa's $29.31 billion."

depends on how you look at it, but I'm sure there are plenty of higher ups at Visa thinking they are not "just fine" when comparing to apple

 

[Daalseth]

That Meta and Spotify are part of this (I’m not sure who Match Group is) tells me that this is pure Astroturfing. they want legistlators to think there is a groundswell of support for making their competitors do this. It’s all about trying to use the legal system to gain business advantage.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Visa runs just fine making billions off 2-3% fees no company needs 30%/15% of EVERY developers revenue to run a store

Are you listening to yourself? you can't compare the volumen of transactions of VISA (Huge, covering almost the whole world, amount of sale varies from $1 to thousands!) to Apple's (Regular volume, transaction amount very low with rare exceptions).

Please let's be realistically objective when doing comparisons.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Pretty much ..

 

[diskrisk]

GO META! Interesting Epic was not involved. Hope they can REMOVE the 15-30% in-app purchase fees! A joke Apple gets 15-30% of in-app purchases and requires developers to use their system. I would happily pay with Apple Pay or Paypal instead for in-app purchases and pay 2% fees for in-app purchases. More money should go to the developers that make these great apps! Not the STORE that NEVER improves, seriously anyone name three things the "App Store" app has done that is innovative? Nothing. It's a self-created scam!

Didn’t know the Zucc employed wumao of their own.

 

[aloysiusfreeman]

Hurry, someone catch me up on why we hate Spotify. I've been with them over 10 years and have no plans on leaving. Spare me on the artists make no money argument. I don't care

Well, giving artists a pittance is actually a big issue, if you care that artists are able to survive to create new music.

And then there's giving $100million to Joe Rogan. Supporting an absolute blight to society is bad

 

[TheLisnakFactor]

Age verification? No thanks. I'll parent my children myself without forcing everyone in the country to show their "papers" to get on the internet.

This might be the best response. Keep the government out of it. Parents should parent!

 

[sw1tcher]

I’m confused, I thought these companies wanted Apple to open iOS up… so everything *wouldn’t* have to go through the AppStore?

Now, they want Apple to handle all age verification and related tasks… because they own the AppStore? Wha? Which way do you want it?

Either you can have Apple control everything, from App distribution to payments to age verification… or you want Apple to open its platform. You can’t have both, you can’t have the cake and eat it too.

I’m confused, I thought Apple wanted to control everything, so that everything would have to go through Apple and their App Store.

Now, Apple wants app developers to handle age verification and related tasks while also expecting them to protect user data and privacy? Didn't Apple claim that they're the only ones who can be trusted handle all App Store functions because of privacy and security concerns? Which way do you want it, Apple?

If Apple wants to control everything, from App distribution to payments, then Apple should handle age verification too. But if Apple say they trust app developers enough to handle age verification, then they should trust app developers enough to handle payments and app distribution too.

You can’t have both ways. You can’t have the cake and eat it too.

 

[diskrisk]

Hurry, someone catch me up on why we hate Spotify. I've been with them over 10 years and have no plans on leaving. Spare me on the artists make no money argument. I don't care

Truly, some of you people don’t deserve access to music at all.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

"In the latest fiscal year, Apple's revenue significantly outpaced Visa's, with Apple reporting $391 billion in global revenue compared to Visa's $29.31 billion."

depends on how you look at it, but I'm sure there are plenty of higher ups at Visa thinking they are not "just fine" when comparing to apple

VISA has to pay its share to the Merchant Service and possibly other intermediaries:

"Credit card processing fees primarily benefit payment processors and card issuers, as they collect these fees for facilitating transactions. Additionally, businesses may benefit indirectly by using credit card payments to increase sales and reduce cash handling costs."

Add to that credit card reward programs in the form of points, miles or cash back.

 

[sw1tcher]

The whole thing is stupid as hell. The same as it's always been. It's Apple's platform.

If it's Apple's platform, then why does Apple not want to handle age verification when Apple thinks they should handle pretty much everything else?

 

[revfife]

Meta proved how ineffective they are with teen accounts, my daughter's teen instagram account was hacked using another meta product called What's App.

Spotify wants to feed them unlimited explicit content.

Thanks, but no thanks to trusting these people with children's age. Predators

 

[diskrisk]

I’m confused, I thought Apple wanted to control everything, so that everything would have to go through Apple and their App Store.

Now, Apple wants app developers to handle age verification and related tasks while also expecting them to protect user data and privacy? Didn't Apple claim that they're the only ones who can be trusted handle all App Store functions because of privacy and security concerns? Which way do you want it, Apple?

If Apple wants to control everything, from App distribution to payments, then Apple should handle age verification too. But if Apple say they trust app developers enough to handle age verification, then they should trust app developers enough to handle payments and app distribution too.

You can’t have both ways. You can’t have the cake and eat it too.

Two things can be true at once. I trust Apple a lot more with my credit card information than individual services. But when I access a service through multiple avenues and not just an app, it just makes sense for the service provider and developer to handle verification on their own.

 

[I7guy]

Do as I say and not as I do.