Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as part of the tech giant’s efforts to stop the governor from passing legislation in the state that would require app stores to verify the ages of its users.
Last week, Cook called Abbott to ask for changes to the online child safety legislation, or if that failed, the Apple CEO requested a veto, people familiar with the call told the Wall Street Journal.
The sources added that the conversation between the two men was cordial, noting that the purpose of the call was to make it clear to Gov. Abbott that Apple’s desire to see the law stopped goes all the way to the top of the company.
The Texas governor has not yet revealed whether he plans to sign the bill, which has already passed through the state’s legislature with veto-proof majorities.
Notably, Apple deployed lobbyists to pressure lawmakers in the weeks leading up to the legislation passing through the Texas legislature, but those moves were apparently to no avail.
If the bill is signed by Gov. Abbott, it would make Texas the largest state in the nation to implement what is known as an App Store accountability law. So far, Utah is the only state that has passed similar legislation, while at least nine other states have seen the law proposed.
But the legislation being passed in Texas is crucial, as some believe it could set the precedent for more states to follow suit, and thus, possibly create new costs for Apple and Google, tech giants that are currently worth 2.92 trillion and $2.076 trillion, respectively.
The online child safety law would mandate that tech giants housing app stores verify the age of a device owner, so that if the user is a minor, their app store account will be connected to a parent’s account, allowing parents to have more control over what their children are doing on their smartphones.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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