The FTC, the American trade regulator, has expressed to Apple its criticism of its application dedicated to news, finding that it puts too much emphasis on left-wing media.
Trump administration and Apple are angry again, reveals Financial Timeswhich reports a letter sent by Andrew Ferguson, the president of the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC, the American trade regulator), judging its Apple News application too left-wing.
In question, according to him, the treatment given by the news application integrated into iOS (which is only available in four countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia) to a report from the conservative organization Media Research Center. The news feed concerning him would, according to the authority, have further promoted “left-wing media”.
Accusations based on a biased report
“Any act or practice by Apple News to suppress or promote news articles based on an ideological or political point of view may violate (US laws),” explains Andrew Ferguson.
The letter was sent to Tim Cook, boss of Apple, the day after strong criticism from Donald Trump on the subject in a publication on Truth Social. Andrew Ferguson was appointed by the US president and is now calling for “a complete overhaul” of the app’s algorithms in order to comply with its legal obligations.
Another close friend of Donald Trump, Brendan Carr, president of the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC, which is the telecommunications regulator), welcomed this position, believing that Apple “does not have the right to suppress conservative points of view”. However, no concrete evidence has been provided, neither by Donald Trump nor by the FTC, to support their claims.
In this report shared by Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the White House, it was established that none of the 620 main news stories for the month of January came from a “rather right-wing media” like Fox News, The Daily Mail or the conspiracy-leaning site Breitbart.
“This report raises serious questions about whether Apple News is acting in accordance with its terms of service and its statements to consumers,” said Andrew Ferguson. Because if the FTC “is not the thought police,” it should put an end to “false claims.”
As a reminder, the content offered by Apple News is selected in two ways. On the one hand, by algorithms which will analyze the user’s reading preferences based on their history and their interactions with articles and themes. On the other hand, by a human editorial team which intervenes to select and highlight quality content. The objective of this dual approach is to find a balance between personalization of a news feed and reliability of the information.
New anger between Apple and Trump
This affair is a new stage in the anger between Apple and Donald Trump, while the latter had seemed to play the lull by exempting the company from certain customs duties. But he has since criticized Apple’s dependence on India and China for the manufacturing of its devices, reiterating his demand to design iPhones in the United States – even though the industrial base is simply not available.
Added to this is the Superbowl, of which Apple is the partner of the Halftime Show. Tim Cook appeared with the artist who performed there, Bad Bunnya great critic of the current American administration. Donald Trump did not appreciate the rapper’s presence and called on his supporters to instead watch a concert with pro-Trump artists broadcast at the same time.
In addition, Tim Cook finally spoke out about recent changes in immigration policy and the actions of Ice, which led to the deaths of several people, including two in Minneapolis in the span of a few days. The leader, who refused to put an end to his progressive and inclusive policy – which earned him a round of greenhorns from conservatives and the American far right – explained that he was going to “continue to put pressure on legislators” so that everyone can be “treated with dignity and respect”. A rare statement at a time when almost all tech companies have allied themselves with Donald Trump, hoping for his goodwill.
date: 2026-02-12 15:50:00