In a series of tweets, Elon Musk revealed that Apple may not be as supportive of Twitter as it once was. It started with a simple tweet stating “Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?”. This tweet was then followed by another saying “Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why”.
The two tweets were followed by a poll, asking “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers” As of now, 85% of respondents have voted yes, indicating their support for Twitter and Musk’s vision for the same, while 15% have voted no
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has been marked by controversies, with brands and advertisers refusing to come on board with his free speech ideologies. This has led to a fair bit of tension between Musk and other brands, particularly Apple, with the former calling out the tech giant on its practices.
Musk retweeted the following from WatchGuru “Apple takes a 30% tax from app developers who make over $1 million through the App Store on an annual basis. Apple's App Store is the equivalent to a 30% tax on the Internet.” and added, “Did you know Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store?”
In the past, Apple has forced apps like Tumblr and Discord to hide or ban adult content on their website. While this sounds great on paper, users of Tumblr are well aware that the website can still show you harmful content based on who you follow. If Apple is policing apps on the basis of the content shown on them, the company must also look into Instagram, which has images hinting at child harm, sexually explicit content, and even the occasional solicitor in your DMs.
The point is, Apple must be transparent with its policies for banning apps or practicing censorship, as it seems like major issues are slipping through the cracks. If all it takes to be censored is supporting ideologies that Apple doesn’t agree with, then one must side with Musk’s take on the lack of free speech on the internet.
In other news, Musk recently said that if Apple bans Twitter, he will manufacture a new smartphone brand altogether to compete with the tech giant. Are we seeing the seeds of the same? Read here.
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