WASHINGTON | The conservative social network Parler, suspended from downloads by Apple for inciting violence, may return if it reforms the moderation of its content, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Sunday.
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Asked on Fox News, the leader of the Cupertino group in California justified the suspension of the network, prized by supporters of Donald Trump, because of “incitement to violence” in the context of the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
After the closure of Donald Trump’s Twitter account, tech greats Google, Apple and Amazon kicked Speak from their services on January 9.
“We have examined the calls for violence” in the messages “and consider that there is a line between freedom of expression and incitement to violence,” said the boss of Apple.
The conservative network filed a complaint against Amazon on Monday. He believes the suspension is motivated by political considerations and the desire to reduce competition to the benefit of Twitter.
In the case of Apple, “we have only suspended the network,” said Tim Cook, “so if they reform their moderation policy, they can return” to the brand’s online store at Apple, a- he added.
Speaking’s popularity had skyrocketed after Twitter’s permanent closure of Donald Trump’s account in the wake of violent incidents in Congress.
On the day of its withdrawal by Apple, the application was the most downloaded in the United States on the group’s platform.
The social network Parler was above all, when it started in 2018, the preserve of extremist fringes, but it is now attracting more traditional conservative voices, including Republican parliamentarians.
Like other lesser-known platforms, Parler regulates disinformation and hate speech less than established networks.
Tim Cook also called the violent invasion of Capitol Hill “one of the saddest moments of [sa] life ”and“ attack on democracy ”. “I thought I was in a parallel reality, that it was unreal,” he added.
“We have an application store that contains about two million,” said the CEO of Apple. “We obviously do not control what is on the internet. But we never thought that our platform should be a simple reproduction of the internet, ”he added.
“We have rules and regulations and we just ask people to obey them,” concluded Tim Cook.