Tim Cook Urges US Congress To Revise Child Online Security Bill, Apple Worries About User Privacy

JAKARTA - Apple is again playing a privacy card is a digital right', and this time it's quite a big risk. Apple CEO Tim Cook went directly to Capitol Hill on Wednesday 10 December, local time to lobby US House members. He urged them to review the bill that was deemed to be able to force companies to collect sensitive data from almost all iPhone users, children and adults.

The bill, the App Store Accountability Act, is designed to ensure minors do not easily access harmful content. The state of Texas has passed similar rules, requiring parental consent to download apps or make in-app purchases for users under 18 years of age.

The state of Utah moved even earlier with regulations that put pressure on youth access to digital platforms. Meanwhile Australia this week introduced a national ban on the use of social media for children under the age of 16.

On paper, the age restriction policy has broad public support. The Pew Research survey in 2023 noted that 81 percent of US citizens agreed that children should get parental permission before creating social media accounts, and 71 percent supported age verification.

But behind that solid-looking figure, a major battle between tech giants is underway. Apple and Google "two of the world's largest app store owners" declined to be used as "digital immigration officers" who had to check the identities of all users.

According to them, age verification at the app store level will force companies to collect sensitive documents such as birth certificates or official identities from almost all users. Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is on the other side of the camp, assessing that app stores are the only effective gates to ensure children are not free to use digital services.

Apple has long placed privacy as a pillar of their reputation. In an official letter to the House of Representatives Energy and Trade Committee, Hilary Wire, Apple's Head of Global Privacy, assessed that several legislation proposals have the potential to create a large hole in privacy protection.

He gave an example that universal age verification will make everyone even who only wants to download weather applications or sports scores forced to submit sensitive data.

Cook repeated the message when meeting directly with members of the DPR, encouraging the responsibility of determining the age of children to remain with their parents, not technology companies.

On the one hand, there is strong political momentum to tighten child digital surveillance, while on the other hand, the world's largest technology company is wary of the threat of weakening privacy principles. This appeal shows how the issue of protecting young people in the online world is not as simple as installing fences, but more like long negotiations to balance security, freedom and privacy.

In an increasingly complex digital landscape, every regulatory step could open a new door for innovation or actually create an unexpected risk.