Apple strongly criticized the reintroduced American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) this week, calling the bipartisan legislation a threat to user privacy and innovation. Senators Chuck Grassley and Amy Klobuchar brought back the bill that previously failed to reach a vote in 2022, modeling it after Europe's Digital Markets Act.

The legislation targets platforms with $175 billion in annual revenue and 34% U.S. market reach, which would subject Apple along with Google, Amazon, and Meta to strict new restrictions. These include bans on favoring proprietary services, limiting competitor access, and allowing third-party app marketplaces with alternative payment systems.

Apple argues AICOA would force unwanted changes that weaken security protections and harm the App Store ecosystem. The company points to its recent inability to launch Siri AI in Europe due to DMA compliance issues as evidence of the regulation's negative impact on product development.

Bill sponsors counter that AICOA preserves safety and privacy protections while preventing anticompetitive behavior. The measure has support from Mozilla, Proton, DuckDuckGo, and several senators, setting up another legislative battle over tech regulation.