Apple and Google Block California Antitrust Bill

The California Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee defeated the Blocking Anticompetitive Self-preferencing by Entrenched Dominant (BASED) Act on April 20, 2026. The bill failed after a 3-3 tie vote, effectively blocking legislation that would have prohibited companies with market capitalizations exceeding $1 trillion from favoring their own services over competitors in digital marketplaces.

Scott Wiener, the state senator who sponsored the bill, designed the legislation to specifically target the Apple App Store and Google search services. However, Apple Inc. and Google launched an intensive lobbying campaign alongside the California Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Progress. These groups argued that the regulations would compromise user privacy and security.

A coalition of smaller firms and developers supported the act, including Yelp, DuckDuckGo, and the startup incubator Y Combinator. Supporters argued the bill was necessary to increase competition for developers and curb the market dominance of the largest technology firms.