Apple CEO Tim Cook defended Parler’s removal from his company’s App Store – saying he doesn’t see an “intersection” between the right to freedom of expression and the ability to provoke violence.
Apple and Google launched the conservative-looking social media site application and Amazon – Web Services took Parler off its servers – after the violent riots at the United States Capitol on January 6 that led to the deaths of five people, including one cop
“We saw the incitement to violence that was there. And we don’t think freedom of speech and incitement to violence intersect, ”Cook told host Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.
Cook said there are more than 2 million apps on the App Store and everyone is expected to comply with the terms of service.
“Obviously, we don’t control what is on the Internet, but we have never seen that our platform should be a simple replication of the Internet. We have rules and regulations and we just ask people to stick to them, ”said Apple’s chief executive in the interview that aired on Sunday.
Asked by Wallace whether taking Parler out of Apple would take users further into the underworld, Cook said that need not be the case.
“We just suspended them for us. And then, if they managed to moderate it, they would go back there, ”he said.
After Twitter and several other Big Tech platforms banned President Trump because of his comments after the Capitol chaos, many of his supporters turned to Parler, who has less content restrictions.
John Martze, Parler’s CEO, sued Amazon citing violations of U.S. antitrust law for removing the social media company from its servers.
He said he and his family are hiding because of death threats and constant harassment.