If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Alabama legislators have advanced HB161, the App Store Accountability Act, through both chambers without opposition, placing the bill before Governor Kay Ivey for consideration. The measure reorganizes how app stores manage access for young users and establishes a statewide framework for age categorization, parental permission, and data handling tied to those functions. Introduced by Chris Sells of Greenville, the bill directs app store providers to determine whether account holders fall into defined age categories and to secure parental approval before minors download apps, make purchases, or complete in-app transactions. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. Age ratings aligned with familiar media standards are also required. Supporters presented the proposal as a continuation of consumer protections that already exist in offline settings. The operational core of HB161 is mandatory age verification, which means showing a form of ID. App stores must request age category information from every user and verify it through commercially available methods or systems approved by the attorney general. Even with the statute’s emphasis on categories instead of exact ages, verification systems commonly depend on government identification checks, third-party identity services, or inference from existing account data. Each approach expands the amount of sensitive information circulating across platforms. The bill requires encryption and limits collection to age verification, consent, and compliance records, yet it leaves the scope and duration of those records undefined, creating space for long-term retention. Age information verified at the app store level also becomes part of a shared signaling layer. HB161 requires providers to give developers real-time access to a user’s age category and parental consent status. During floor debate, lawmakers emphasized continuity with existing safeguards. The parental consent system adds another layer of data creation. Minor accounts must be linked to verified parent accounts, with records of consent decisions, renewals following significant app changes, and withdrawals of permission. App store providers, therefore, maintain detailed parent-child relationship data and logs of app-level access for minors. The statute does not define clear deletion timelines when a child turns 18 or when family account links end, leaving long-lived family graphs within platform systems. Special treatment for pre-installed apps introduces additional complexity. App stores must facilitate parental consent when developers request it, even though minors may interact with pre-installed apps during device setup. Data collection can begin early in that process, and parental awareness depends on subsequent prompts rather than proactive disclosure. Enforcement authority under HB161 sits entirely with the attorney general, who may pursue violations as deceptive trade practices. Parents and users are not granted a private right of action. The bill includes purpose limitations for age category and consent data, confining use to compliance, safety, and legal obligations, while omitting requirements for independent audits, public reporting, or specific penalties aimed at gradual expansion beyond those purposes. The bill ties child safety goals to mandatory age verification, cross-app age signaling, and persistent parental account linking, all of which raise unresolved questions about data minimization, long-term retention, and platform-level tracking. At the same time, conditioning app access on verified age and consent alters how lawful speech and expression are accessed online. This is ultimately a framework that expands surveillance and creates friction around access to information. The result is a measure that advances without opposition in the Legislature while remaining deeply contested on privacy and free speech grounds. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Alabama Moves to Put a Gatekeeper on the App Store appeared first on Reclaim The Net.