US EditionUtah becomes first state to pass age verification law for app stores
- Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed the App Store Accountability Act, also known as S.B. 142, making Utah the first state to require app stores to verify user ages before allowing downloads of certain apps.
- This law aims to protect children by shifting the responsibility of age verification from individual apps to app stores like those of tech giants Google and Apple, requiring parental consent for minors under 18.
- The law mandates that Apple and Google confirm the age of account creators in Utah, linking accounts of users under 18 to a parent's account with additional documentation, and is set to take effect on May 7.
- While Meta, Snap, and X praised the law for empowering parents and simplifying age verification, Google and Apple have opposed it, with Google warning about potential privacy risks to minors and Apple expressing concerns about requiring users to submit sensitive personal information.
- Digital rights groups have raised data storage and protection concerns, and a Stanford University study suggests the law may lead to increased use of VPN services to circumvent age verification, as similar proposals are being considered in other states, including California and South Carolina.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Utah requires app stores to verify ages in trailblazing child safety law
Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed new legislation on Wednesday that requires mobile app stores, including Apple and Google, to implement a user age verification process to protect children online.The law, sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler (R) and Rep. James Dunnigan (R), passed earlier this month. The bill takes effect on May 7.'The apps are the first main gateway to how you protect children.'Instead of age checks at app download, Utah's law mand…
Utah passed a first-of-its-kind law making Google and Apple verify user ages. Meta and Snap are pleased.
A Utah law puts the onus on Google's and Apple's app stores to verify user ages.App StoreUtah just passed a law that would make app stores verify user ages instead of individual apps.Apple and Google would have to get parental consent before minors can download certain apps in the state.Meta, Snap, and X praised the bill. Google and Apple have said it raises privacy concerns.Utah just became the first state to pass a law that makes app stores — …
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