The following statement can be attributed to George Rakis, Executive Director for NextGen Competition (nextgencomp.tech):

Today NextGen Competition joined over a dozen civil society partners in demanding accountability for Apple’s ban on Beeper Mini. For far too long, the company has used unfair tactics to insulate its walled garden from competition. This has come at an enormous cost to consumers. Apple’s refusal to allow secure messaging between iOS and Android puts consumers’ sensitive data at risk and disadvantages those who use an alternative, often more affordable hardware.

The war over market share between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android has not fostered greater innovation. Instead, Apple has sought to pressure consumers into its gated community, separating the blue bubble haves from the green bubble have nots. Epic’s recent courtroom victory against Google and ongoing case against Apple have exposed the tech giants’ tactics for what they are—attempts to lock in consumers, stifle innovation, and ensure total dominance over their respective platforms. The time for the Administration and Congressional intervention is now!

About NextGen Competition

Our mission is to support a robust and competitive technology ecosystem by opposing anti-competitive business practices and promoting greater industry accountability. Specifically, we oppose consolidation in the industry that undermines worker protections and employer accountability, threatens data privacy and security, encourages market concentration, and limits consumer choice. NextGen Competition intends to work with a broad coalition of unions and public interest partners as it seeks to oppose anti-competitive business practices.