💭 Many have mused about the potential for a new global technology regulator. I wonder if we already have a couple.
Is the App Store a policymaker? Head on over to the Financial Post (or buy one!) and let me know what you think. 👇
🏛️ regs to riches 💰
Google Play and the App Store effectively determine what apps are on the market in a way equivalent to a national agency like the US’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Health Canada. In this way, they are performing the role of a (pseudo) regulator.
Monetized mobile applications *already* pay a digital tax (of sorts) - to Apple [30% of their in-app revenue]. These funds go to a private corporation and not to the (or any) state.
The gatekeeping function of mobile stores may lead us to conflate what is popular with what is “proper.”
There may be an opportunity for tighter alignment between these digital stores and governments, as Apple continues to update App Store policies.
