EDITORIAL: Republicans should be cautious before voting to overhaul app stores

Our message to Hill staff when it comes to the App Store Freedom Act.

Throughout the Biden era, federal agencies pressured tech firms to throttle speech and censor Americans who told the truth about COVID hysteria. Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio ) and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R., Mo.) did outstanding work to expose collusion and ensure it never happens again. Their work has our full support.

But when it comes to legislation that would overhaul how app stores operate — the App Store Freedom Act — Republicans should move with caution. The stakes are far higher and broader than most policy fights in Washington.

This kind of proposal is rare. It would directly affect every American with a smartphone. The overwhelming majority of federal legislation touches select industries, targeted programs, or narrow populations. Rarely does Congress consider a bill that would directly impact virtually every voter. This is a point ably made by Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) about legislation to change daylight savings time — when Congress is going to do something that impacts everyone, caution is prudent.

That’s why Republicans should think twice before passing legislation that changes how app stores work. If this proposal works, then there is no harm done and large app creators stand to see some benefit. But if a policy of this nature goes wrong, the party in power takes the blame. And disengaged, low-information voters don’t follow the details, but they remember who made the decisions.

Will voters care if the government overhauls how app stores work? They might. If even 10 percent of what Apple and Google warn about turns out to be right people will notice. The notion that grandma is more concerned about TikTok’s profit margin than the security of her phone is unlikely to be true. If a large number of Americans start believing their iPhones are less secure because of something Republicans did, that will hurt.

Republicans should also ask a simple question: Who are the winners here? If the Washington Reporter had a paid app and Apple or Google forced us to hand over high fees, we would be frustrated too. We would likely run editorials calling to pass this bill!

But the truth is this bill pits a very small group — large app creators — against every smartphone-using American. That is not a great political trade before the elections.

As former Senate staff, we encourage our House colleagues to ask: Are you 100 percent sure this bill will not inadvertently allow hackers and Chinese spyware to flood the app store? If so, then great. Encourage your members to vote yes.

But if there is any doubt, perhaps because Hill staff have no idea how the security of app stores work, Republicans should not risk unforced errors. Taking on Big Tech is important, it’s sound policy, and it’s good politics. But doing it in a way that accidentally creates problems for every voter in America is not.