Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told a crowd Wednesday at the DealBook Summit that he believes Apple's "App Store" poses a threat to free speech, The New York Times reported.
During his speech, Zuckerberg appeared sympathetic to Twitter CEO Elon Musk's criticism of the App Store. Musk had suggested Apple was using it to threaten his business.
"If you look at all the major competing platforms that have existed — iOS, Android, Windows — Apple stands out," Zuckerberg said. "It is the only one where one company can control what apps get on the device. I don't think it's sustainable or good."
The concern arises from Apple's ability to remove easy access to phone applications by barring companies from its App Store. Last year, Apple cited failures to meet guideline requirements for its removal of Parler from the store.
"We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity," Apple said about removing Parler at the time.
"Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues."
The issue came up again after Musk claimed Apple was planning to remove Twitter from its App Store. The alleged threat likely surrounded decisions made by Musk since acquiring the company, specifically unbanning a slew of controversial accounts.
"Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?" Musk tweeted on Monday, later adding that "Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won't tell us why."
However, events seemed to turn Wednesday after Musk visited the Apple headquarters to meet with CEO Tim Cook, writing that after a "good conversation," the two parties "resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store."
"Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so," Musk stated.
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