In response to privacy concerns regarding TikTok, Florida’s Attorney General is urging Apple and Google to notify customers when they are going to download an app that is “foreign made and owned.” Attorney General Ashely Moore stated in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook that Apple must “take prompt action” on this subject.
Moore writes to Cook in his letter:
Customers have the right to know whether these countries are involved in the creation, development, or ownership of these applications. Informing consumers of their foreign-based status allows them to determine whether they wish to expose themselves or this country to the inherent and enhanced hazards connected with such foreign applications.
Providing an App Store label for these foreign programs would give users vital information that would allow them to make fully informed decisions before downloading such apps.
Leaving aside issues about TikTok privacy and security, this is merely a weird and excessively wide demand for attention. There’s no way Apple will add a pop-up to the App Store that warns customers when they download an app from a location other than the United States.
