The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expresses concerns over allegations that Apple News suppresses right-wing content

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has raised concerns over allegations that Apple is censoring conservative content on the Apple News app.

In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson cited reports from the Center for Media Research, a right-leaning think tank, which accused Apple of excluding right-leaning outlets from the top 20 articles in Apple’s News Feed.

“These reports raise serious questions about whether Apple News is acting in accordance with its terms of service and its representations to consumers.” […] “I abhor and condemn any attempt to censor content for ideological reasons,” Ferguson’s letter said.

Ferguson, a critic of Big Tech who was appointed by Trump to lead the competition regulator, noted that the FTC does not have any powers to require Apple to take ideological or political positions when curating news, but said that if the company’s practices are “inconsistent” with its terms of service or the “reasonable expectations of consumers,” it may violate the FTC Act.

Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (another Trump appointee who is critical of Big Tech), backed Ferguson’s position, writing: “Apple has no right to suppress conservative viewpoints in violation of the FTC Act.”

Ferguson has urged Apple to conduct a “thorough review” of its terms of service and ensure that curated content on Apple News complies with its policies, and to “quickly take corrective action” if the curation process is not compliant.

The message comes a day after President Donald Trump shared the Media Research Center report on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump has repeatedly accused big tech companies of censoring right-leaning content, though several major platforms have rolled back many of the measures to curb fake news and misinformation they imposed in the years leading up to his second term in the White House.

Apple’s relationship with the Trump administration has oscillated between warmth and cold over the past year. Trump criticized big tech companies, especially Apple, for manufacturing their devices in China, but after Cook promised to spend more than $600 billion over the next four years in the United States and moved to mend relations, relations between the administration and the company improved. Apple also evaded customs duties imposed on smartphones manufactured abroad and imported into the United States

The Federal Trade Commission last year also launched an investigation into “censorship by technology platforms,” ​​seeking input from the public who felt they were being silenced because of their ideologies or political affiliations. “Tech companies should not bully their users,” Ferguson said at the time. “This investigation will help the FTC better understand how these companies are violating the law by silencing and intimidating Americans for expressing their opinions.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.