Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson Issues Warning Letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson issued a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, reminding him of Apple’s obligations to its customers. The letter follows reports that Apple News systematically boosts left-wing sources and suppresses right-wing sources. The letter points out that if Apple misrepresents Apple News or violates its terms of service, it could be violating the FTC Act.

The letter says: “Big Tech companies that suppress or promote news articles in their news aggregators or feeds based on the perceived ideological or political viewpoint of the article or publication may violate the FTC Act if that suppression or promotion (1) is inconsistent with the terms and conditions of service; (2) is contrary to consumers’ reasonable expectations such that failure to disclose the ideological favoritism is a material omission; or (3) when those practices cause substantial injury that is neither reasonably avoidable nor outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.”