A South Korean parliamentary committee is reportedly recommending the amendment of the Telecommunications Business Act to prevent Apple and Google from charging software developers with commissions on in-app purchases forcibly.

The amendment also bans these technology giants from deleting mobile content from their app stores or delaying the review of content without appropriate reasons, thus averting damage to content providers and protecting their rights and interests.

This move comes after Google stated that it would mandate all app developers to use its billing system. Just like Apple’s payment policy, Google’s billing system collects 20-30% commission from software developers for in-app purchases.

If sources are to be believed, the judiciary and legislation committees have voted to amend the act already and a final vote will be taken in the Parliament soon.

In this context, Apple Inc. said that the amendment will undermine users’ privacy protections and put them at risk of fraud if they make purchases from other sources. It will result in lesser opportunities for South Korean developers and hurt user trust in App Store purchases, the company added.

Meanwhile, Senior Director of Public Policy at Google, Wilson White was quoted saying the amendment process has been fast which hasn’t enabled analysts to study the negative impact of this legislation on Korean app developers and consumers.

For the record, both Apple and Google have faced criticism worldwide as they require software developers who use their app stores to use proprietary payment systems which have high commission rates.

If this bill is passed in the Parliament, the Government of South Korea can probe app market operators and mediate disputes regarding refunds, cancellations, and payments in-app markets.

In other news, South Korea is making great strides in standardizing technologies related to the metaverse by acquiring flexible and transparent displays and other core equipment.

Source Credits –

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-parliament-committee-votes-to-curb-google-apple-commission-dominance