The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed concerns about claims that Apple is censoring conservative content on the Apple News app.
In a letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook, FTC chair Andrew Ferguson referenced reports from the Media Research Center, a conservative think tank, which alleged that Apple is leaving right-leaning outlets out of the top 20 articles featured in the Apple 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 stated.
Ferguson, a critic of Big Tech who was appointed by Trump to lead the competition regulator, acknowledged that the FTC lacks the power to mandate any ideological or political stances in news curation. However, he warned that if Apple’s practices are “inconsistent” with its terms of service or “reasonable expectations of consumers,” they could be violating the FTC Act.
Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who was also appointed by Trump and is critical of Big Tech, backed Ferguson’s position, stating, “Apple has no right to suppress conservative viewpoints in violation of the FTC Act.”
Ferguson urged Apple to undertake a “comprehensive review” of its terms of service and to make sure that the content featured on Apple News aligns with its policies. He called for “swift corrective action” if it turns out that the curation doesn’t match those standards.
The letter was sent just one day after President Donald Trump posted the Media Research Center’s report on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump has a history of accusing Big Tech companies of censoring conservative content, despite many major platforms easing restrictions that were previously put in place to combat fake news and disinformation during his last term.
Apple’s dynamics with the Trump administration have fluctuated between positive and negative over the past year. Trump has criticized Big Tech, notably Apple, for producing its devices in China, but after Cook pledged to invest more than $600 billion in U.S. operations over the next four years, relations between the company and the administration improved. Apple also managed to avoid proposed tariffs on smartphones made abroad and imported into the U.S.
Last year, the FTC also began an investigation into “censorship by tech platforms,” gathering input from individuals who felt silenced due to their political beliefs or affiliations. “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” Ferguson remarked at the time. “This inquiry will help the FTC better understand how these firms may have violated the law by silencing and intimidating Americans for speaking their minds.”
Apple did not provide a comment in response to requests.
