Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, has claimed that Apple is threatening to remove the Twitter app from the iOS App Store. If this occurs, iPhone users will be unable to download Twitter.
Musk claimed that Apple is taking action against Twitter because it is opposed to the “free speech” that Twitter (under Musk) stands for.
Aside from threatening to remove Twitter from the App Store, Musk revealed that Apple has largely stopped advertising on Twitter. Musk called out Apple CEO Tim Cook in a series of tweets yesterday, asking him to explain what was going on.
As of the time of publication, Apple had not responded to Musk’s claims.
Free speech question
While noting that Apple has not explained why it wants to remove Twitter from its store, the Twitter owner hinted that the company might be against Twitter because of free speech. He said:
Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America? Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store but won’t tell us why. This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.
In another tweet, Musk tagged the CEO of Apple, asking: “What’s going on here @tim_cook?”. Cook has remained silent on the matter.
Meanwhile, Musk says he will soon be exposing how Twitter, before his takeover, had been suppressing free speech.
The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself. The public deserves to know what really happened, he said.
Elon Musk’s resolve
Musk stated before acquiring Twitter for $44 billion that he would use the platform to promote free speech by allowing people to share their opinions without being censored. Following the acquisition, he lifted the suspension on some accounts that had previously been suspended by Twitter for breaking its rules, including that of former US President Donald Trump.
Elon Musk has also stated that he will grant amnesty to all suspended Twitter accounts by restoring them and allowing them to begin again.
