Apple CEO on Parler Suspension: ‘Incitement to Violence’ Is Not Free Speech
'We looked at the incitement of violence that was on there'
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Apple CEO Tim Cook said that his Big Tech company suspended conservative social media platform, Parler, from the App Store because “free speech and incitement to violence” do not have “an intersection.”
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace asked Cook:
“How did you decide to balance free speech with objectionable content?”
Cook replied:
“We looked at the incitement of violence that was on there."
"We don’t consider that free speech and incitement to violence has an intersection.”
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Wallace asked:
“What about the argument that by taking Parler off Apple in addition to what other companies are doing that you are just driving these people, these views further underground?”
Cook said:
“We have only suspended them, Chris."
"So if they get their moderation together, they would be back on there.”
Earlier this week, Amazon booted Parler off its web hosting servers Amazon Web Services (AWS).
AWS said that content on the free speech-focussed social media site violates its terms of service.
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According to an email obtained by BuzzFeed News, the company adds that it does not believe Parler has a good strategy for cracking down on speech on its platform.
Parler CEO Mark Matze blasted big tech efforts to shut down his popular social media alternative app, blasting the moves as an "assault on everybody."
"It's devastating is what it is," Matze told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures.
"They all work together to make sure at the same time we would lose access to not only our apps, but they're actually shutting all of our servers off tonight, off the internet."
"They made an attempt to not only kill the app but to actually destroy the entire company," he said.
"And it's not just these three companies," Matze continued.
"Every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers all ditched us too on the same day."
