NEW Policy Blog Templates - 2025-07-09T102112.594

SIIA Joins Opposition Letter on AB 322 Geolocation Privacy Requirements

by Policy
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) joined a coalition of organizations in an oppose unless amended letter regarding California’s AB 322. The bill, as amended June 23, 2025, proposes new consumer notice and retention requirements for precise geolocation data. While well-intentioned, the letter argues the bill duplicates and complicates existing protections under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA). The coalition urges legislators to pursue narrower, more tailored solutions that recognize the robust privacy safeguards already in place, cautioning that AB 322 in its current form creates unnecessary confusion, infeasible obligations, and legal uncertainty for CCPA-covered businesses.
Full Letter Here
NEW Policy Blog Templates - 2025-07-09T101405.740

SIIA Opposes California’s AB 412 on AI Training Data Disclosure

by Policy

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) joined a coalition of organizations in formally opposing California Assembly Bill 412 (Bauer-Kahan), which would impose sweeping disclosure requirements on developers of generative AI systems. The bill mandates public documentation of all copyrighted materials used to train AI models, along with the names of the copyright owners—a requirement opponents argue is unworkable under U.S. copyright law, which grants protection automatically to nearly all fixed works, without any centralized registry of ownership.

The letter warns that AB 412’s requirements would be technically infeasible, expose trade secrets, disproportionately burden startups, and undermine the balanced approach recently enacted in AB 2013. It also raises concerns about preemption under federal copyright law, risks to ongoing litigation, and the potential for abuse by bad-faith actors seeking proprietary data. SIIA and other signatories urge California lawmakers to allow existing legislation to take effect before pursuing new, overbroad measures that could hamper AI innovation and the state’s leadership in the sector.

Full Letter Here
NEW Policy Blog Templates - 2025-07-01T143656.085

SIIA Statement on the Withholding of Education Funding for States

by Policy

The following statement can be attributed to Sara Kloek, Vice President, Education and Children’s Policy, Software & Information Industry Association.

“We are shocked to see the news that over $6 billion in education funding is being withheld by the federal government despite being required, by law, to flow to the states starting today. Congress appropriated these funds and the President signed the bill into law in March. We do not know how long these funds will be withheld but expect the negative impact to be felt not just by the state education agencies but also by students, families, communities, and the education businesses that support their efforts. We urge the federal government to send the dollars to the intended recipients to ensure state and local leaders are able to serve their communities.”

NEW Policy Blog Templates - 2025-07-01T100912.850

SIIA Submits ASAP RFI Response with Recommendations to Accelerate U.S. Innovation

by Policy

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) submitted detailed recommendations to the American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP) in response to its Request for Information (RFI). SIIA commends Senators Heinrich and Rounds for spearheading this bipartisan initiative to strengthen U.S. scientific leadership and competitiveness. Drawing on its diverse membership—from AI and cloud innovators to education technology and data infrastructure firms—SIIA emphasized the critical role of public-private partnerships, modernized regulations, and strategic investment in computing resources, scientific data ecosystems, and workforce development.

In its submission, SIIA addressed questions on how to boost collaboration across sectors, speed discoveries from lab to market, build robust infrastructure, and fully harness AI to accelerate research. The association also urged the development of clear metrics to track progress and ensure accountability, highlighting the need for smart, sustainable funding models and policies that foster innovation while delivering broad societal benefits.

Full Letter Here
NEW Policy Blog Templates - 2025-06-30T163409.148

SIIA Urges Court to Reject Apple App Store Injunction

by Policy

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) has filed an amicus brief in Epic Games v. Apple, now before the Ninth Circuit, arguing that the district court’s new injunction against Apple’s App Store violates the U.S. Constitution. The brief warns that prohibiting Apple from charging commissions on “linked-out” purchases amounts to an uncompensated taking of property interests protected by the Fifth Amendment. SIIA stresses that this approach threatens fundamental rights relied upon by software and digital sales platforms, including contracts, patents, and proprietary systems.

The brief also argues the injunction raises serious First Amendment concerns. By forcing Apple to carry third-party promotional links it wishes to exclude while blocking Apple’s own truthful messaging about external purchases, the order imposes unconstitutional speech mandates and restrictions. SIIA urges the Court to recognize these constitutional flaws, warning that upholding the injunction would undermine legal protections critical to the software industry.

Full Amicus Brief