Gov. Abbott of Texas officially signed into law the online child safety bill that would require Apple and Google’s app stores to verify the age of their users and obtain approval from parents before minors download or make in-app purchases. The law will go into effect on January 1st.
The bill made headlines last week as it was revealed Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly called Gov. Abbott in hopes of convincing him to either ditch or make changes to the law after it passed the Texas legislature. Apple, alongside Google, was working with interest groups to fight the legislation, with Apple in particular saying that the implementation of such a bill could pose a threat to user privacy.
Apple lobbyists managed to stop a similar bill from passing in Louisiana last year, though the state is revisiting the bill.
Utah was the first state to pass a similar app store bill, which went into effect this year. At least nine other states are reportedly looking to implement their own versions, too.
