And they called me personally to tell me they were doing so, the decision having been made by “high level Apple executives.”
The line repeated to me ad nauseum was that “the concept of the app might offend a large group of people.” The concept of the app is to amplify liberal perspectives on social media. So, I guess, being liberal is offensive? And they call us snowflakes.
To give you an idea, here’s the sort of stuff we were using internally for our dry run:
#ProtectMueller protests have broken out nationwide, with crowds calling for the Mueller investigation to be protected after Pres. Trump fired the attorney general pic.twitter.com/tB7DHprGPl
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) November 9, 2018
Let’s chart a different future. Let’s turn these stats upside down.
Vote Blue! Vote for your future! pic.twitter.com/tGiJvz5pTK— Artist Melinda (@ArtistMelinda) October 22, 2018
Other than the fact that this advocates for progressive perspectives, I don’t get what’s so offensive.
Here’s the thing: all of the content in the app comes from Twitter, an app they have approved. The only thing this app does that’s different is that it contains only liberal perspectives on recent events and seeks to amplify effective ways of expressing those perspectives. It’s clear to me they are either:
a) concerned that the app might work and give liberals a more effective, united voice on social media, and/or
b) concerned that conservatives will get mad at them.
In either case, they’ve chosen to censor liberal voices on their platform. (Breitbart and other right wing news services continue to be available on the App Store.)
Obviously, I’m at a bit of a loss, and I’d like people to know about what happened. Please share this, and if you’re on Android, download the app. I’m not really sure what to do from here, all I know is that what Apple is doing is wrong and biased. They rejected the app under Human Interface Guideline 1.1 “Safety – Objectionable Content,” which governs content “intended to upset or disgust users.” I don’t think liberal values are disgusting. And I’m shocked that they do.
Happy to chat more with people about this if they want, just shoot me a text if you know me, or submit a contact form on this site if you don’t.
schrock { block } 