WASHINGTON, DC — Today, The Tech Oversight Project issued the following statement after last night’s bombshell interview between FTC Chair Lina Khan and Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. In the interview, Jon Stewart revealed that Apple senior executives worked behind the scenes to silence the company’s critics and influence content-related decisions.
Selected quotes below:
“I’ve got to tell you: I wanted to have you on a podcast, and Apple asked us not to do it. They literally said, ‘Please don’t talk her,’” said Daily Show host Jon Stewart. “They wouldn’t even let us do that dumb thing we did in the first act on AI. What is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these kinds of conversations out in the public sphere?”
“I think it just shows one of the dangers of what happens when you concentrate so much power and so much decision-making in a small number of companies,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan.
Our Reaction:
“Jon Stewart’s revelations make clear that Apple brazenly bullies creators and blocks content they deem unfavorable to their business from ever reaching the public. What we need to remember — and what makes this so troubling — is that Apple is no longer just a phone maker; its technology is now deeply entrenched in so many different sectors of our economy, from automotive to entertainment,” said Sacha Haworth, Executive Director of the Tech Oversight Project. “Apple has already come under fire for censoring content critical of the Chinese Communist Party, its most critical supply chain partner, and this interview raises even more red flags about Apple’s business practices and the levels they will sink to stifle voices critical of the company.”
Read the full DOJ’s full complaint against Apple here.