Brazil's regulator will examine whether child protection laws require the changes Apple has proposed to its App Store settlement agreement.
Brazil’s competition authority has asked the country’s data protection agency to assess whether Apple’s proposed overhaul of child-protection provisions in its App Store settlement with the authority is required under the Digital Child and Adolescent Statute.
The original antitrust case centered on allegations that Apple restricted competition by prohibiting the distribution of third-party digital goods in native apps, requiring developers to use its In-App Purchase system for in-app transactions, and enforcing anti-steering provisions.
In an official query issued under the compliance monitoring provisions of Apple’s December 2025 settlement with the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), the agency asked the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) for its assessment of whether the changes are required by Brazil’s Digital Child and Adolescent Statute, known as ECA Digital, or represent merely one possible way to implement the law’s protections.
The request was submitted to ANPD President Waldemar Gonçalves and was placed into CADE’s virtual deliberative circuit Tuesday. A final vote is scheduled for July 13. No requests submitted through the authority’s new virtual deliberative procedure have been rejected so far.
The consultation relates to Apple’s request to alter provisions of the settlement agreement governing alternative payment systems and external purchase links in iOS apps.
Apple has argued that the proposed amendments are necessary to align the settlement with ECA Digital. The authority asked ANPD to confirm that.
The proposed amendments would alter specific provisions of the settlement’s Annex I. Under the current agreement, developers offering alternative payment options to users ages 16 and 17 may be required to use Apple’s Declared Age Range API or other appropriate mechanisms to verify that users are at least 16 years old before completing a transaction and, when activated, comply with the “Ask to Buy” parental approval feature.
Apple’s proposal would instead apply the safeguards to all users under 18, requiring verification that a user is 18 or older before completing transactions without parental consent and requiring parental authorization mechanisms for transactions involving minors.
Apple is also seeking changes to the rules governing Active Links. Under the proposed language, Apple would be allowed to block Active Links for all users under 18.
In addition, the authority requested guidance on whether any provisions of the statute, regulatory acts, technical recommendations or guidance documents support: (i) increasing the minimum age for active-link availability from 16 to 18; and (ii) requiring parental authorization for every transaction conducted through alternative payment processors by users under 18.
CADE further asked whether the legislation imposes, recommends or authorizes differentiated treatment for users ages 16 to 18 regarding access to alternative payment links or external payment processors.
When launching the changes on June 18, Apple said the new regime included a range of child-safety safeguards associated with alternative marketplaces and payment systems. The company said apps in the App Store’s Kids category would be prohibited from including external purchase links and that apps using alternative payment processing for minors would be required to implement parental approval mechanisms.
Apple also introduced a new API designed to allow parental oversight of purchases made outside Apple’s own payment infrastructure.
Source: MLex
