South Korea Requires App Stores to Offer Alternative Payment Systems

South Korean lawmakers passed the world’s first law to force tech giants such as Google and Apple to offer alternative payment systems on their app stores, a move critics of the companies say will loosen their stranglehold over profits derived from the lucrative online marketplaces. Washington lawmakers who favor more regulation of tech companies immediately hailed the action and urged passage of a similar proposal that a bipartisan cast of lawmakers introduced this month.