Apple Inc. has reportedly threatened to block Twitter from its App Store over the company’s disagreement with Elon Musk’s pro-free speech policies. Musk announced on Monday that Apple has threatened to “withhold” the social media company from its App Store without providing an explanation for the decision.
Musk also announced that Apple has “mostly stopped advertising on Twitter” after his takeover.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his concerns over Apple’s monopoly in the digital phone business and suggested that Apple’s decision to ban Twitter should “merit a response from the United States Congress.”
“You also hear reports that Apple is threatening to remove Twitter from the App Store, because Elon Musk is actually opening it up for free speech and is restoring a lot of accounts that were unfairly and legitimately suspended for putting out accurate information about COVID,” DeSantis said.
“That’s like one of the main things that’s being reinstated. So many things, these experts were wrong and you had people on Twitter that were calling that out and Twitter, the old regime and Twitter, their response was to try to just suffocate the dissent,” Gov. DeSantis added.
“And Elon Musk knows that’s not a winning formula, and so he’s providing free speech,” the governor remarked, adding that “Apple responds to that by nuking them from the App Store.”
Gov. DeSantis further suggested that it would be a “huge, huge mistake” and a “raw exercise of monopolistic power that I think would merit a response from the United States Congress.”
“And so don’t be a vassal of the CCP on one hand, and then use your corporate power in the United States on the other to suffocate Americans and try to suppress their right to express themselves,” DeSantis added in reference to reports that suggest Apple is allegedly considering suppressing its Airdrop feature in response to the Chinese Government.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 29, 2022
Musk took to Twitter to highlight Apple’s alleged threats and asked users in a poll if Apple should “publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers.”
The poll has overwhelming support, with 84.7% of Twitter users supporting the notion and just 15.3% disagreeing with Musk.
The people have spoken …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022
“This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead,” Musk further Tweeted on Monday.
This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022
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