3 ms·

This article is a bit hyperbolic. > Apple claims that it must be able to override its customers' choices about which software they'd like to run, lest those cu

This article is a bit hyperbolic. > Apple claims that it must be able to override its customers' choices about which software they'd like to run, lest those customers make foolish software choices and compromise their own security This is putting words in their mouth. Here's their actual statement: > We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store This is a perfectly reasonable and cogent statement, and you can easily challenge this on multiple points: 1. Apple is being too credulous with the claim about any safety risk. This should meet a high burden such as demonstrated actual harm, not hypothetical ponderings. 2. The current administration has been proven as liars many times, and deals in misinformation, so their claims can be dismissed a priori. 3. There is a legitimate use even for apps that pose a "safety risk". Users can make informed choices whether they want to engage with those apps. Some examples: generative AI can be used to create false and misleading images; ride-sharing and dating apps can put users in risky situations with strangers.

lapcat 1y ago
Or: 4. Apple is simply lying. The reality is that Apple has a corrupt financial relationship with the administration, involving both carrots and sticks. Billions of dollars are at stake. Trump can offer Apple exemption from tariffs, protection from regulation and regulatory action (for example, labor laws), threats to the EU to protect Apple from DMA fines, massive corporate tax cuts, etc. Trump can also punish Apple in various ways that we've seen him punish others. The underlying issue has nothing specifically to do with ICEBlock. The administration wanted to get rid of the app, and Apple did them a favor, helping to preserve Apple's overall financial interests.
- tantalor 1y ago
  Yes I think this is the most likely answer. But I was trying to give Apple a little more credibility. They have the right to police the app store, but they need to be careful with that power.
  - bitpush 1y ago
    > I was trying to give Apple a little more credibility Why? They are known to bend their knees to authoritarian governments, more than any other company. See "Apple in China". It is just that Apple, unlike most other companies, has a good PR department.

lapcat 1y ago

Or: 4. Apple is simply lying. The reality is that Apple has a corrupt financial relationship with the administration, involving both carrots and sticks. Billions of dollars are at stake. Trump can offer Apple exemption from tariffs, protection from regulation and regulatory action (for example, labor laws), threats to the EU to protect Apple from DMA fines, massive corporate tax cuts, etc. Trump can also punish Apple in various ways that we've seen him punish others. The underlying issue has nothing specifically to do with ICEBlock. The administration wanted to get rid of the app, and Apple did them a favor, helping to preserve Apple's overall financial interests.

tantalor 1y ago
Yes I think this is the most likely answer. But I was trying to give Apple a little more credibility. They have the right to police the app store, but they need to be careful with that power.
- bitpush 1y ago
  > I was trying to give Apple a little more credibility Why? They are known to bend their knees to authoritarian governments, more than any other company. See "Apple in China". It is just that Apple, unlike most other companies, has a good PR department.