Apple has removed the social media app Parler from its app store, yet their CEO Tim Cook seems to be unaware of the intolerant nature of his decision.
On Fox News Sunday, Cook claimed:
"We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues."
Cook’s claim of support for "diverse points of view" is questionable at best, given that Parler had a large number of right-wing users.
When asked how his company decides how to balance free speech with content they find objectionable” Cook replied,
“We looked at the incitement to violence that was on there, and, uh, we don’t consider that free speech and incitement to violence has an intersection.”
Ironically, other social media platforms like Twitter, which is allowed on Apple's app store, haven't always been held to that same standard. As recently as last week, Twitter allowed comedian Kathy Griffin's post that included a photo of her holding a bloody severed Trump head to remain up and active for days before finally removing it following a deluge of reports.
Even still, Cook maintains Apple has "rules and regulations."
"We obviously don't control what's on the internet but we've never viewed that our platform should be a simple replication of the internet. We have rules and regulations and we just ask that people abide by those," Cook went on.
Apple CEO @tim_cook joined #FoxNewsSunday to discuss the company’s new race initiative. Plus, we got his reaction to the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and his company’s standoff with the conservative-leaning app Parler. pic.twitter.com/krbsb9aut5
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) January 17, 2021