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If anything, ONLY buying through the Apple App store would probably result in a safer buying experience for most folks with MORE protections not less.
One of the value propositions to consumers is that Apple has enough power to push back against big corps.
Ask to Track was a push (originally apple was going to ban totally but in "fairness" let businesses track) to let users decide if they wanted to be tracked. If they said no full features of the app had to remain available.
Compare even that to the pointless privacy notices they send in the mail saying you can send a letter to some address to ask them not to track you and sell you data?
I worked in an elder care adjacent setting - financial fraud is wild against the elderly. It's getting sophisticated. A nice robot voice calls, your account at XXX has been compromised or accessed from Russia, if this was not you you please enter the 6 digit code we've sent to confirm. That six digit code is the 2FA for your real account, which is then drained.
But their comment is dead now, so I'm not the only one who found it silly.
As you point out, the fact we see little outrage of the abuses by small app business speaks to astroturfed outrage and a misguided, anti-capitalist sentiment directed towards Apple. I’m more worried about getting harmed by a desperate fly-by-night app developer who sells my personal information than I am by Apple, since Apple has a long term reputation to protect. I’d like to see more restrictions on the App Store, not less.
Edit: why was the parent comment flagged? It was an entirely reasonable post. Was it flagged because indie app developers found it bothersome?
Plenty of other jurisdictions do it.