- US congressman Gus Bilirakis sent a bipartisan letter to Apple inquiring about its policy on blockchain.
- Lawmakers are working toward creating a crypto-friendly landscape and Apple needs to review its policies.
- Apple was given until August 14 to respond to the bipartisan letter.
US congressman Gus Bilirakis sent a bipartisan letter to Apple in an effort to seek the tech giant’s approach toward blockchain technology and its components, specifically non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Bilirakis, the head of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce of the congress, wrote in his letter that the US is intent on trailblazing blockchain innovation and that Apple’s policies may affect it adversely.
Today, I sent a bipartisan letter to @Apple regarding iOS App Store policies and their impact on emerging technologies like blockchains and NFTs. Congress must understand if Apple’s policies are limiting innovation and American technological leadership.
Full letter below: pic.twitter.com/Sda7qtEaql
— Gus Bilirakis (@RepGusBilirakis) July 28, 2023
In the letter, the lawmaker submitted a handful of questions to Apple in regard to how it handles applications from apps that interact with blockchain technology. Apple’s partnership with Axie Infinity and how it does not integrate the game’s NFTs was also mentioned in the letter.
The lawmaker was also interested in finding out if Apple is planning to develop its own blockchain in the future.
Apple is given until August 14 to respond to the inquiry.
American legislators are making headlines lately for working double to establish a clear regulatory framework in the country. Recently, two blockchain-related bills began a markup and reports say that they have already passed the initial stage.
In other news, former federal prosecutor and Silicon Valley investor Katie Haun criticized the US’ anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) policies, saying that the country spends almost $40 billion each year on rules that have a 99% failure rate.
