Revolver– As Revolver reported in its now classic piece, any attempt by Elon Musk to allow free speech on Twitter would be met by tremendous resistance from multiple powerful stakeholders in the status quo of regime censorship. The disgraced former head of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Yoel Roth recommended that Apple and Google use their leverage over App Store distribution to punish Elon’s Twitter. For a while, it looked like this “nuclear option” was a live possibility.
We explained in an earlier piece just how damaging it would be to Twitter if Apple were to exercise this nuclear option.
For all but a tiny minority of tech-savvy consumers, the App Store is the only way to add new software to an iPhone. And iPhones make up more than 50 percent of all smartphone sales in the U.S., meaning that with the push of a button, Apple could block half the country from downloading and using Twitter’s app. Since over 85 percent of all Twitter use is on mobile devices, an app store ban for Twitter would essentially be a killshot for the entire platform — just like it was for Parler, which has never recovered from the merely temporary store ban it received after January 6. [Revolver]
For the time being, at least, this effort may have failed. Musk tweeted about a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook, and indicated there was no danger of Twitter being purged. That’s great news. But Musk, and all supporters of free speech, should remain deeply wary of Apple, both due to its immense power and because of many years of evidence of a political agenda burrowed deep into the company.
Senator Marsha Blackburn claims to have the legislative fix: the Open App Markets Act, an antitrust law which prevents dominant app stores from discriminating against apps.
This sounds great in theory, but as Revolver and others have pointed out the bill had a major loophole allowing app stores to engage in political censorship under the pretext of “privacy, security, or digital safety.” MORE
There is no such thing as digital privacy. There is no such thing as digital security. There is no such thing as digital safety.
If you thought there was you are dangerously uninformed.
Never trust a RINO.
While we’re on the subject of monopolies…when are they going to break up Apple, Amazon, Microsoft?
Add ATT (again), Charter and Comcast cable corps. to that list.
I’d I downloaded every app companies told me to download, I would have no memory left on my devises. I used to have the Twitter App on my iPad but it was a memory hog. if I look, I just use a browser.
Strongly advise decent people not to download any(more) apps if you value your freedoms and lives.
Strongly advise discerning people not to download any(more) apps if you value your freedoms and lives.
If Blackburn is sponsoring anything, do a double take.
What’s an app?