EASTHAMPTON — Doug Hexter, founder of a free app that allows people to raise money for charity just by walking their pets, recently trekked to the nation’s capital to warn lawmakers that a piece of federal legislation designed to protect children’s privacy on app stores may hurt small developers like himself and raises privacy concerns.
The App Store Accountability Act (ASAA) has drawn both support and criticism since it was introduced in Congress last May by U.S. Rep. John James, R-Michigan, during a time when age verification and online privacy are growing concerns.
If passed, the bill — which mirrors legislation already passed at the state level in Texas, Utah and Alabama — would require age verification to purchase an app, require parental consent for users under the age of 18 to use app stores and establish enforcement mechanisms if the act is violated.
Hexter is a part of the Developers Alliance, a group of 10 app creators opposing the legislation, who argue that it misses the mark — it will not provide adequate protections to children and will exact a costly toll on app-makers like himself.
“The App Store Accountability Act does put an unfair burden on small app developers and doesn’t necessarily help protect from apps wrongfully getting in children’s hands,” said Hexter, founder and CEO of Easthampton-based WoofTrax, an app that allows pet owners to support animal charities by walking their pets.
With these mandates, the alliance claims that every developer would be required to store age data for users regardless of their app’s nature, from ones as “age-appropriate” as Hexter says his app is, to social media or gambling apps.
“The act asks people to approve how old they are for every app, it doesn’t matter if it’s something like a cooking app,” Hexter said, noting that WoofTrax is available to all ages. “It does have some protections but it puts no responsibility on the app developer,” to ensure their own app’s safety.
Because WoofTrax is free to use, the company partners with organizations through sponsorship deals, so that every time a user walks their pet, it raises a donation. Users do not need a pet to walk and raise money either.
“We’re creating a mutually beneficial relationship where pet owners and the organizations are more likely to have connections with the brands that are sponsoring the dog walks,” Hexter said. “It’s a health and fitness app on both ends of the leash.”
Surveying 1,000 participants involved in app development, the Developers Alliance found that 94% of respondents believe apps that offer different experiences based on age should take primary responsibility for delivering age-appropriate user experiences.
Additionally, the survey found 77% said that receiving and storing sensitive user age data would require “significant resources” in both money and time, with 66% estimating that it would cost more than $10,000 per year to do so.
“We work daily, closely keeping an eye on the landscape of regulations on apps especially with small companies,” Hexter said about the Developers Alliance. “One of the things that concerns us and other small developers is making sure that there is a cost-effective way to protect children online in an effective way.”
Hexter said he supports federal regulation surrounding children’s protections on app stores, instead of legislation at the state level which creates hurdles for developers. Instead of the App Store Accountability Act, the Developers Alliance supports the federal Parents Over Platforms Act, Hexter said.
“It becomes very expensive and almost impossible to have different compliance for people in different states,” Hexter said. “It becomes complicated, which is why I think national regulations are critical.”
Hexter said there are going to be ongoing conversations as lawmakers continue to discuss the best way to protect children’s privacy on app stores and online as a whole. He said it is important for people invested in the topic like him to stay involved in those discussions.
