Technology giant Apple has threatened to kick out Twitter from its App Store, unless the social media platform ramps up its censorship. Twitter loosened its censorship policies and pivoted toward free speech under its new CEO Elon Musk, a move that did not sit well with many.
According to Summit News, "speculation over app stores potentially targeting Twitter intensified after Apple executive Phil Schiller deactivated his Twitter for no apparent reason." Schiller deactivating his account came days after Twitter reversed its permanent ban on former President Donald Trump. Aside from this, Twitter users also noticed the official Apple account on the social media site deleting all of its tweets – which the company later dismissed as "nothing new."
Summit News' Paul Joseph Watson pointed out that "much of the hysteria seems to be based around Musk allowing accounts that had been unfairly banned or suspended on the platform." These included the official Twitter presence of satirical news site Babylon Bee, musician Kanye West and former University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson.
Writing for Fast Company magazine, journalist Clint Rainey warned that the South Africa-born Tesla and SpaceX CEO "is playing a dangerous game that could spell game over for the platform he just bought." He added: "Musk's platforming of hateful content could get Twitter itself de-platformed."
"As Twitter veers more in the direction of freewheeling right-wing social apps, … the company could be on a collision course with those app stores' gatekeepers," Rainey wrote.
The Fast Company journalist cited remarks by former Twitter head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth, who warned that Twitter being kicked out of the App Store and Google's Play Store "would be catastrophic" in a Nov. 18 New York Times op-ed. Roth also referenced the company's most recent annual report, which stated that the release of new products depends on, and can be impacted by, the gatekeeper teams at those app stores.
Backlash stems from Musk's anti-censorship stance
In his Nov. 21 piece for Fast Company, Rainey wrote: "Even as [Musk] criticizes the capriciousness of platform policies, he perpetuates the same lack of legitimacy through his impulsive changes and tweet-length pronouncements about Twitter's rules. Musk has made clear that at the end of the day, he'll be the one calling the shots."
Watson begged to differ, however. "Rainey and his ilk are mad that Musk has culled the number of 'moderators employed to track harmful content and enforce Twitter's rules against it,'" he wrote.
"Showcasing again how journalists now weaponize their platforms to try to chill free speech, Fast Company contacted Apple, Google and Amazon to ask them if they planned to de-platform the Twitter app itself. But none responded."
The Summit News owner also noted that under the Twitter Blue program where users pay an $8 per month subscription fee, "a financial motive is also in place to maintain a good relationship with Musk." According to Rainey, the tech company founded by Steve Jobs and two others "would collect a 15 to 30 percent commission, the going rate for paid apps and in-app purchases."
Moreover, Watson cited Rainey's observation about free speech platforms Parler and Trump's Truth Social. Both were prohibited from app stores, but were eventually allowed after promising more stringent content moderation. (Related: Apple approves Parler app after Parler surrenders to left-wing speech police.)
"While it's incredibly unlikely that the Twitter app itself would ever be de-platformed, the 'gatekeepers' could follow the example of advertisers by putting pressure on Musk to impose tighter censorship, therefore derailing the billionaire's stated goal to 'free the bird' and restore true freedom of speech."
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Watch this video that talks about free speech social media platform Parler being prohibited from app stores.
This video is from the Vigilent Citizen channel on Brighteon.com.
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