New Twitter owner Elon Musk wants to increase the amount of money the company makes through subscriptions while opening up the site to more free speech. But, this creates a risk that Twitter could violate Apple’s App Store (or Google Play’s) rules in a way that impedes the company or even gets its app booted from the app stores.
Musk’s plans for Twitter could put it in conflict with two of the biggest tech companies: Apple and Google.
Tensions are already brewing. Musk complained in a tweet just last week about app store fees that Google and Apple charge companies like Twitter.
“App store fees are obviously too high due to the iOS/Android duopoly,” Musk tweeted. “It is a hidden 30% tax on the Internet.” In a follow-up post, he tagged the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, which is reportedly investigating app store rules.
App store fees are obviously too high due to the iOS/Android duopoly.
It is a hidden 30% tax on the Internet.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2022
Over the weekend, Phil Schiller, the former head Apple marketing executive who still oversees the App Store, apparently deleted his widely-followed Twitter account with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Musk faces the power of Apple and Google and their ability to decline to approve or even pull apps that violate their rules over content moderation and harmful content.
There’s precedent for a complete ban. Apple and Google banned Parler, a much smaller and conservative-leaning site, in 2020… Although Apple approved Truth Social, Trump’s social networking app, in February, it took longer for Google Play to approve it. Google eventually approved the app in October, saying that apps need to “remove objectionable posts such as those that incite violence.”
Still, Apple and Google are unlikely to want to wade into a difficult battle over what constitutes harmful information and what doesn’t. That could end up inviting public scrutiny and political debate…
MacDailyNews Take: As George R.R. Martin said, “When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”
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Of course he might be saying kill people on a massive scale, so do we let ISIS have a Twitter account or do we draw lines in the sand after all? Once you do that of course the argument starts as to where. 100% free speech has and always will be mythical despite what Musk and his ilk might might falsely claim, I mean even the blue and potential ‘red’ ticks reduce it somewhat by tying it to a cost.
Public shame for offensive comments will have to suffice. Also, governments tracking terrorists can benefit from the bad guys exposing themselves for further scrutiny and monitoring and eventual takedowns.
It’s a collision course to chaos. Can you imagine just how the media would react if Apple bought, or had some kind of affiliation with Twitter? The media circus around it would be insane and it might even have an effect on AAPL stock.
Denying free speech through Twitter would destroy Apple and Google.
Except Apple & Google wouldn’t be denying anyone’s rights to free speech if they banned Twitter
Musk isn’t interested in free speech. He’s interested in speech for himself, and those who think like him. It’s interesting to note that he had the accounts deleted who were criticizing him, and the employees who criticized him were fired. Yeah, some free speech advocate..
More than likely yes but devil’s advocate here for a moment Mel, I don’t know of any employee in the history of work who were able to criticize their boss and still keep their job.
Wrong! Musk is all about free speech you confuse and conflate it with insubordination from a rogue team member rightly terminated.
Notice you have no problem with free speech taken away from conservatives…
There’s a lot of disgruntled ex Twitter workers that are probably spewing hate, just to get at Musk
Steve Jobs was good. Tim Cook is evil. Elon Musk is good. Sometimes the world really is that simple.
Tim Cook isn’t as bad as people make him out to be. People act as if he is the Steve Ballmer of Apple. I thought his direction is fine, people are just blowing things out of proportion.
He’s sissy Timmy the Woke Warrior
And you’re an ass.
As controversial as my final years were as president of the University of Michigan, I can still say that I did a better job representing my organization than Elon Musk will ever have while running Twitter. It’s a complete dumpster fire right now and everyone involved should be ashamed of how it turned out.
The Wharton School also pales in comparison to the Ross School of Business anyway.
Go Wolverines!
You’re a prime example of the woke that has destroyed most American universities.
At least “woke” believes in universities outside the old money right wing elite.
With all due respect to disabled people, you are mentally retarded. Virtually all universities are 100% leftist institutions. The “right wing” bogeyman that makes you wet your pants doesn’t exist. “Woke believes in universities” like Stalin believed in mass murder.
Cool, thanks for showing me that people that hate ‘woke’ universities are also ableist dick heads too! Maybe if you payed attention in school and made it to a good college, you would have enough for a beautiful Mac instead of trolling a Mac site from a dumb Windoze box!
I would not pay tuition for any school if business. That’s what jobs are for. Science, engineering, arts,…fine.
I think this is it for me. Though moderate-conservative, me, my household, and business were all in on Apple. I mean ALL in — everything from Macs, new iPhones, Apple TV, watch, Air pods — all of it. Even have a G3! But ever since the on-device scanning debacle, I have been growing mistrustful of Apple. I thought they could be a company with “woke” leanings, but now I think they are more a “woke” organization with a business on the side. Now with them threatening Musk, and you can be sure that these leaks are purposeful, I think I am done. There are other good products out there. Integration is nice, but not a necessity. We can’t switch overnight, but I think I have bought my last Apple product. Plus, for some reason, Apple seems old now.
You can always get one of those insecure, glitchy Fragmandroid phones from either ScamShame or Gaggle if you want. No one is forcing you to use an device.
Any you’ve been an Apple user since, what, 2021! I’ll bet you’ve spent hundreds. Good for you!
Been on MDN since iOS 7, user since 2010. Nice try with your projection though. I’d rate 4 s out of 5 .
Too much drama for a responsible company. Schiller had to know that leaving Twitter would ignite speculation and rumors and cause disruptions. Businesses and users need steadiness, not wild gyrations. It’s not up to Apple and Google to be the content sheriffs of the internet. Apple helped destroy Parler just when it was gaining massive traction. It would be so much irony if Apple wrecked on the rocks of Twitter, the very monopoly it was trying to maintain.