A former top U.S. national security official has voiced concern over the Japanese government's plan to require major app store operators such as Apple and Google to allow users to download apps outside of their selling platforms.
"There's no question that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is going to take advantage" of any new law permitting apps from unvetted third-party sources, Robert O'Brien, who was national security adviser from September 2019 to January 2021 under then-President Donald Trump, told Kyodo News in a recent interview.
While recognizing the need to encourage fair industry competition, O'Brien called on Japanese authorities to put such legislation on hold as he believes the risks for privacy and national security would be unacceptable.