It\u2019s not just Google that has negatively affected conservatives through its online services or abused its platforms to favor itself. Apple is another global tech behemoth that\u200b is exercising excessive and undue content moderation on its platform. <\/p>\n

Without notice, Apple removed\u200d thousands of episodes of \u201cThe Glenn Beck \u2062Program\u201d from Apple Podcasts on the morning of Aug. 16. Apple restored the popular\u200c show to its platform five hours later, blaming the \u200bremoval on a trademark dispute. Host Glenn Beck said he received a notice from\u2063 Apple about an issue with\u2064 the show, but a \u200clink to more information contained therein simply informed him that Apple had removed his show. <\/p>\n

\n
Apple’s Monopoly\u2063 Power and Content Moderation<\/h2>\n
This episode\u2064 illustrates the harm\u200b that Apple\u2019s monopoly\u200d is causing to a flourishing internet. From the excessive fees\u200c and gatekeeping of its App \u2064Store \u200cto its greed-fueled support of the totalitarian \u2064Chinese government, Apple has shown it is \u2063abusing its monopoly power, which runs \u2063counter to \u2062America\u2019s best interests as well as a free\u2063 and open internet. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
When a consumer wants to download an app on his iPhone, there is only one shop in\u200c town \u2014 the Apple App Store. App developers must also play by Apple\u2019s \u200dexploitative\u2064 rules if they want to sell their services on the App Store. Once a developer earns $1 million in revenue, it must\u2064 fork over 30 percent in fees. X CEO Elon Musk\u200d correctly labeled this fee\u200d a\u2062 \u201c30% tax on the Internet.\u201d <\/p>\n
Presumably, having exorbitant fees and \u200bcomplete control over access to the App Store would mean Apple is equipped to prevent abuse of its platform. In reality, Apple\u2019s App Store\u2063 is consistently in the news for the opposite. <\/p>\n
Back \u200din 2022, \u200bit was reported that cybersecurity researchers found TikTok bypassed certain security audits of its code run \u2063by \u200bApple\u2019s App\u200d Store. In 2019, cybersecurity company Trend Micro published a\u200d report showing it found hundreds of \u201cfake\u201d applications in \u2064the App Store, some ranking in the top 100, that \u2064could hide their true behavior during Apple\u2019s review process. \u2062Even Pro-Big Tech outfit \u2062AEI had to cover the \u200cfact that \u2064the App Store was hosting \u201cPure \u200dSpyware\u201d on\u200c the Chinese-built app My2022 for Olympic athletes, including useful \u200dhidden features like \u200b\u201ccontinuous\u201d\u200b voice \u2064monitoring. <\/p>\n
A\u200c man named Kosta Eleftheriou single-handedly exposed Apple\u2019s inability to properly police its App Store by\u200b identifying high-revenue scam apps that Apple had overlooked. In 2015, cybersecurity firms found malware in more than 300 apps due to an issue with \u2063Apple\u2019s developer tools, causing personal information to leak from Chinese-developed apps. The\u2062 notion that Apple\u2019s App\u2063 Store is an \u200dimpenetrable walled\u2062 garden where \u200dno \u200dmalicious app can enter is\u200c a falsehood. <\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s faults go far beyond its App Store drama. In August 2021, it announced \u200cthat photos\u200d stored in iCloud \u200bwould be scanned \u200cfor \u200d child \u2062sexual abuse material<\/a> (CSAM). While \u2062the pursuit of such a mission may be \u2063admirable, the obvious privacy implications caused such an outcry that Apple ultimately walked back \u2063the decision. \u2062The widespread concern \u2064about this tool\u2019s misuse is \u2063well warranted given Apple\u2019s \u200csubservience to the\u200b Chinese Communist Party. <\/p>\n
In\u200b the wake of\u2062 the Hong \u200bKong protests, Apple rolled out an update to Chinese iPhones \u200bthat would restrict the \u201cEveryone\u201d mode\u200c of \u200bAirDrop \u200cafter 10 minutes, making it harder for Chinese dissidents to use \u201cone of the few uncensored communication mediums in China.\u201d During the zenith of \u200bthe protests, Apple removed \u2064an app\u200c that allowed protesters to track the movements of police after\u2064 an official \u200dCCP newspaper called out Apple for allowing it on the App Store.\u2062 Apple lobbyists have also tried to prevent efforts to end forced labor in China, and CEO Tim Cook visited \u2063China multiple times to orchestrate a $275 billion investment deal that would help the company avoid \u200cCCP regulations. <\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s dominance of the smartphone and app store industry combined with its high fees, lack of oversight, and exclusionary practices is making the internet a \u2064worse place \u2063for both innovation and freedom. Apple has consistently proven itself to be driven\u2062 by greed and a dangerous political\u2064 agenda. \u200cTo hear firsthand, just ask Beck, the protesters in Hong Kong, or\u200d those harmed by predatory apps \u200callowed on the \u200diOS App Store. <\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s monopolistic abuses should not dictate\u200b the freedoms of Americans online.\u2062 Consumers deserve options in the \u200bapplication marketplace without sacrificing quality or bearing\u200c greater\u2064 costs. <\/p>\n
\n
The Solution: Open App Markets Act<\/h2>\n
That is\u200b why Congress should pass vital legislation, \u2062such as the Open App Markets Act. This legislation would remove restrictions on consumers that stop them from downloading apps \u2062of their\u2063 choice, while also preventing app stores \u200cfrom forcing their in-app payment\u2063 systems \u2062on developers.\u2064 Doing so would\u200d help to curb Big Tech interests and restore market balance for both consumers and competitors. It\u2019s time to unshackle the online space from Big Tech and\u200c restore a free and open\u200b internet for its users. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\u200d rnrn <\/p>\n
How does Apple’s content moderation practices<\/a>, specifically the removal of\u2063 “The Glenn\u2064 Beck Program”\u200b episodes\u200d from Apple Podcasts, demonstrate the \u200dlack of transparency and arbitrariness in \u200btheir decision-making\u2063 process?<\/h2>\n
Apple\u2019s recent controversies, it is clear that the company\u2019s monopoly power and content moderation practices \u200bare causing harm to both \u200bconsumers and the internet \u200cas a whole.<\/p>\n
One example\u200c of Apple\u2019s excessive content moderation can be seen in the removal of \u2063thousands of\u2064 episodes of \u201cThe Glenn Beck Program\u201d from Apple Podcasts without notice. Although \u200dthe show was eventually restored \u200bto the platform, the \u2063removal \u200dwas blamed on a trademark dispute. Host\u2063 Glenn Beck stated that he received a notice from Apple, but the \u200dlink provided no further information and simply informed him that his show had \u200bbeen \u2064removed.\u2062 This\u2064 incident highlights the\u200d arbitrary nature of Apple\u2019s content \u200bmoderation practices<\/a>\u200c and the lack of transparency surrounding these \u200bdecisions.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Apple\u2019s \u2062monopoly power is evident\u2064 in its control over \u2062the\u200d App \u200cStore.\u2062 When users want to\u200c download\u200c an\u200d app \u2063on their iPhones, they \u2062must \u200bgo through the Apple\u200c App Store, \u2064as there is no alternative. This creates a situation\u200c where app developers are forced to comply with Apple\u2019s rules and pay exorbitant fees if they want to \u200bsell their services on the platform.\u200c Once \u200da developer earns $1 million in revenue, they are required to \u200bgive 30 percent of their earnings to Apple, which has been referred to as \u200da \u201c30%\u2062 tax\u200c on the Internet\u201d by X CEO\u200b Elon Musk. This\u200d monopoly power not only limits competition but also allows Apple \u2064to exert control \u2064over what apps are available\u200d to users and manipulate the market to\u200b its advantage.<\/p>\n
Despite Apple\u2019s control and \u2063excessive fees, its App Store has been \u200drepeatedly criticized \u2064for its inability to\u2063 prevent abuse. In the past, cybersecurity researchers discovered that apps \u2064like TikTok\u2062 were able to bypass \u200dcertain \u200dsecurity audits, and hundreds of fake applications were\u200b found \u200din the App \u2062Store that \u2064could hide\u2063 their\u2062 true \u200bbehavior during Apple\u2019s review process. In addition, Apple has been \u2062accused of hosting spyware on its platform, unveiling serious concerns about\u2063 privacy and user security. These incidents demonstrate that Apple\u2019s claims of providing \u200ba safe and secure app ecosystem are not entirely\u200b accurate.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, \u2062Apple\u2019s faults extend beyond\u2062 its App Store drama.\u200b The company recently announced plans to scan photos stored\u200d in \u2062iCloud for child sexual abuse\u200d material<\/a> (CSAM). While the objective of combating such material is commendable, the decision\u200c raised\u200d significant privacy concerns<\/a>, leading to public\u200c outcry\u2064 and \u200dultimately forcing\u200c Apple to\u2062 backtrack on its plans.\u200b Given Apple\u2019s previous actions and\u200b its compliance\u200d with the\u2063 Chinese government\u2019s demands, concerns about the misuse of\u200b this\u200c tool are well-founded.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, Apple\u2019s monopoly power and content moderation practices have negative\u2064 implications for both conservatives\u200c and the integrity of the internet. The\u200c company\u2019s arbitrary removal of\u200c podcasts, excessive\u200b fees, \u200cand failure to prevent abuse on its platform\u2063 are clear indicators\u200b of its abuse of power. Additionally, Apple\u2019s decision to scan photos for CSAM raises \u2064significant privacy concerns,\u2062 further undermining its commitment to user security. It\u2064 is crucial for regulators and consumers alike to\u2063 hold Apple accountable for its actions and demand greater transparency \u2064and\u200d fair competition in the tech industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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