At war with the iPhone company: Twitter owner Elon Musk has attacked Apple in a series of tweets. Will Apple remove the Twitter app from the App Store?
The new Twitter owner Elon Musk attacked the iPhone company Apple in a series of tweets on Monday. First, the tech billionaire asked if Apple hated free speech in America — since the company had largely stopped advertising on Twitter. He then claimed that Apple threatened to remove the Twitter app from the App Store without giving any reason. Apple initially did not respond to Musk’s tweets.
Musk bought Twitter for around $44 billion at the end of October and has been pushing through his ideas with the online service ever since. This includes the fact that, in his view, Twitter has restricted freedom of speech too much in recent years. In recent years, Twitter has acted more and more consistently against hate speech, calls for violence and incorrect information about the corona virus. Musk also unlocked several right-wing accounts that had been blocked for homophobic and racist statements, among other things.
Does Elon Musk “go to war” against Apple?
Musk’s allegations against the previous Twitter leadership coincide with claims by the US right that conservative views are being suppressed by online platforms. They often cite the right to free speech in the United States. However, US legal experts have always emphasized that the government must not restrict the right to free speech. On the other hand, companies and online platforms have the right to set their own rules for communication on this basis.
A conflict between Musk and Apple has been brewing for some time. Musk is concerned about the 15 to 30 percent levy that is due on app platforms for subscription revenue generated within the app. He announced that Twitter would focus more on subscription revenue rather than advertising. On Monday, he again attacked a “secret 30 percent levy” that Apple takes on App Store purchases. In one photo, he hinted that he “wants to go to war” on the other hand. As usual, after Musk’s tweets, his fans formed on the online service, who also attacked Apple.