Apple Confirms Infowars App Won't Be Removed From App Store

[MacRumors]

Apple does not plan to remove the Infowars app from the iOS App Store at this time, the company told BuzzFeed News this evening. Apple said that the Infowars app had not violated its App Store guidelines.

"We strongly support all points of view being represented on the App Store, as long as the apps are respectful to users with differing opinions, and follow our clear guidelines, ensuring the App Store is a safe marketplace for all," the company said in a statement.

"We continue to monitor apps for violations of our guidelines and if we find content that violates our guidelines and is harmful to users we will remove those apps from the store as we have done previously."

Apple over the weekend removed the entire libraries of five Infowars podcasts from the Apple Podcasts platform. "War Room" and "The Alex Jones Show," hosted by controversial U.S. radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, were among those pulled from Apple Podcasts.

When removing the Infowars podcast listings from the Podcasts platform, Apple said that it does not tolerate hate speech, finding that the Infowars podcasts did indeed violate its podcast content guidelines.

"Apple does not tolerate hate speech, and we have clear guidelines that creators and developers must follow to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our users," a company spokesperson said.

"Podcasts that violate these guidelines are removed from our directory making them no longer searchable or available for download or streaming. We believe in representing a wide range of views, so long as people are respectful to those with differing opinions."

As BuzzFeed points out, the Infowars mobile app available from the App Store allows users to live stream the same programs that were removed from the Apple Podcasts platform. The Infowars mobile app streams video broadcasts rather than making a repository of content available to listeners, however, which may be why the app was not pulled while the podcasts were.

BuzzFeed suggests that since the streaming broadcasts are ephemeral and not stored in the app, that Apple will need to "catch [Jones] in the act and in the moment" to act on a violation.

Apple's App Store guidelines state that apps should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, or in exceptionally poor taste. Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content is listed as an example.

Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate, or place a targeted individual or group in harm's way.

Multiple social media platforms have now removed Infowars content from their services, including YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Confirms Infowars App Won't Be Removed From App Store

 

[826317]

Good. I don't listen To Alex Jones, frankly I think he's pretty crazy, but my goodness did they all mess up erasing him from the face of the internet like that within the space of 12 hours.

 

[mariusignorello]

Different opinions do not bother me. Say what you want.

Removing content and silencing people? Now you’ve got a war. Especially when you grandstand about being inclusive of all people and opinions.

 

[PotatoLeekSoup]

I have never listened to or watched Alex Jones, but removing alternative POVs is idiotic. What exactly did he violate in Apple's terms anyway? The censors never tell you. Gotta be careful not to commit WrongThink!

 

[fairuz]

But they removed a Civil War game because the Confederate side had their actual flag. That's weird.

 

[dannyyankou]

I have never listened to or watched Alex Jones, but removing alternative POVs is idiotic. What exactly did he violate in Apple's terms anyway? The censors never tell you. Gotta be careful not to commit WrongThink!

I don’t know the exact terms he violated, but I know his looney Sandy Hook conspiracy theories led to families being harassed, making one of them move seven times.

 

[PotatoLeekSoup]

I don’t know the exact terms he violated, but I know his looney Sandy Hook conspiracy theories led to families being harassed, making one of them move seven times.

He did not incite harassment AFAIK. Saying it "led to" something occurring is quite a stretch. People can hear any news they want and them make any number of dumb decisions based on it.

 

[morcutt11]

I agree with the previous posters in that I have no interest in Alex Jones or any of the opinions he shares. However, I detest censorship far more. When a handful of companies can form a virtual monopoly and control the vast majority of social media and arbitrarily decide who can be heard, that's a big problem.

 

[liberte1776]

The InfoWars app really needs an Apple TV app too. Oddly it doesn't have an iPad optimized version and no Apple Watch app, useful for news alerts...

I wonder if Apple will ban InfoWars from its News app?!

 

[Blackstick]

From what I heard, he incited crazy right wingers to harass Sandy Hook families. For that he should burn in hell, something I know his type deeply fair.

 

[liberte1776]

I have never listened to or watched Alex Jones, but removing alternative POVs is idiotic. What exactly did he violate in Apple's terms anyway? The censors never tell you. Gotta be careful not to commit WrongThink!

Yes, it is well known as an ISO standard, if you do not have a documented policy, then it is not a policy, it is just which way the wind is blowing each day!

 

[jarman92]

Different opinions do not bother me. Say what you want.

Removing content and silencing people? Now you’ve got a war. Especially when you grandstand about being inclusive of all people and opinions.

This isn't a different "opinion:" he knows the things he says are false (he has admitted it under oath in court) and he does it to elicit a particular response. Saying that a factual event did not occur isn't an "opinion;" it's either a lie or a clinical delusion. He says that the Sandy Hook shooting was faked, and encouraged his insane fans to harass and embarrass parents whose children were murdered. These people literally go up to the parents and demand proof that their adolescent son or daughter was murdered. They call them liars. They go to their homes and follow them around.

Alex Jones is a money-grubbing, despicable fraud and is among the worst human beings on the planet. He traffics in conspiracy theories to sell vitamins to men with fragile egos and small penises. At least one of his loony stories resulted in a man shooting up a pizza parlor. The First Amendment has always had limits; this is obviously one of them. His speech is not protected. Please spare us all the feigned outrage.
[doublepost=1533775440][/doublepost]

He did not incite harassment AFAIK. Saying it "led to" something occurring is quite a stretch. People can hear any news they want and them make any number of dumb decisions based on it.

I almost don't even want to say it because its so cliché, but by your ridiculous standard yelling fire in a crowded theater should be protected because "he didn't tell people to panic and trample each other!"

 

[DeepIn2U]

Good. I don't listen To Alex Jones, frankly I think he's pretty crazy, but my goodness did they all mess up erasing him from the face of the internet like that within the space of 12 hours.

I agree to an extent.

Honestly all this buzz is giving him free marketing and mindshare of importance. The old adage there is no bad publicity.

He’s still a wanker though.

 

[m0sher]

So Apple is OK with his hate speech, that means the Klu klux klan and the black panthers can set up shop on Apple that’s awesome news for them

Wrong with this picture allowing this hate speech ?

 

[826317]

This isn't a different "opinion:" he knows the things he says are false (he has admitted it under oath in court) and he does it to elicit a particular response. Saying that a factual event did not occur isn't an "opinion;" it's either a lie or a clinical delusion. He says that the Sandy Hook shooting was faked, and encouraged his insane fans to harass and embarrass parents whose children were murdered. These people literally go up to the parents and demand proof that their adolescent son or daughter was murdered. They call them liars. They go to their homes and follow them around.

Alex Jones is a money-grubbing, despicable fraud and is among the worst human beings on the planet. He traffics in conspiracy theories to sell vitamins to men with fragile egos and small penises. At least one of his loony stories resulted in a man shooting up a pizza parlor. The First Amendment has always had limits; this is obviously one of them. His speech is not protected. Please spare us all the feigned outrage.
[doublepost=1533775440][/doublepost]

I almost don't even want to say it because its so cliché, but by your ridiculous standard yelling fire in a crowded theater should be protected because "he didn't tell people to panic and trample each other!"

Ugh cry everyone a river. The man has lied, so what? He cannot control what his fans do. Unless he directly incited violence there is nothing wrong with what he has said. We get lied to by CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and many more MSM channels every single day. Sure they're not as extreme, but they have a strong agenda and so does Alex Jones. It's just a battle of lies, CNN gets away with staging stories all the time and no one bats an eye. I guess you only see what you wanna see.

 

[DeepIn2U]

But they removed a Civil War game because the Confederate side had their actual flag. That's weird.

Wel just like the US Constitution: Freedom Of Speech....

But as Ice T stated on his album “The Iceberg” it’s

Freedom of Speech “just watch what you say”!

 

[mudslag]

Good. I don't listen To Alex Jones, frankly I think he's pretty crazy, but my goodness did they all mess up erasing him from the face of the internet like that within the space of 12 hours.

LOL what? He wasnt erased from the net, Apple removed 5 podcasts, youtube removed his channel, twitter kept his twitter page. Jones still has his own site and any other personal sites still exist.

 

[Gregintosh]

“If you cut off a mans tongue, you aren’t proving him a liar. You’re just proving you’re afraid of what he may say.”

For anyone celebrating platforms silencing someone over political speech, you will have no ground to stand on when invariably someone goes after your political speech.

To me, labeling something as “hate speech” is just a poor attempt at trying to stifle free speech. Granted these are private companies not the government, but their oligopoly on media distribution makes them picking and choosing who they’ll silence worrisome.

 

[FreeState]

I have never listened to or watched Alex Jones, but removing alternative POVs is idiotic. What exactly did he violate in Apple's terms anyway? The censors never tell you. Gotta be careful not to commit WrongThink!

https://sdgln.com/news/2018/08/07/f...rs-pages-host-wanted-drag-queens-burned-alive

Facebook removes InfoWars pages; host wanted drag queens burned alive

Jones is an extreme anti-LGBT supporter and conspiracy theorist who often makes video rants of how to rid the world of the gay community including one in July in which he said drag queens should be burned alive:

“We’re going to destroy you. You will ascend to Hell in the reverse order," he said. "They now know fear, because we’re coming like the villagers in the night, with the torches burning bright, with fire."

“Fire is not the weapon of evil, fire is the weapon of good, and it will consume you," he added. “You need to fear god. Your god has stolen your soul.”

 

[826317]

LOL what? He wasnt erased from the net, Apple removed 5 podcasts, youtube removed his channel, twitter kept his twitter page. Jones still has his own site and any other personal sites still exist.

YouTube, Facebook, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Sticher and LinkedIn all terminated any InfoWars or Alex Jones accounts. Twitter is the only thing he has got left that has a direct substantial following. His website, sure, but you know as well as I do that his website might as well not exist if his YouTube is shut down.

 

[mozumder]

Not good.

Apple needs to disassociate their private App Store brand from InfoWars.

Just ban anything InfoWars related!
[doublepost=1533776297][/doublepost]

Good. I don't listen To Alex Jones, frankly I think he's pretty crazy, but my goodness did they all mess up erasing him from the face of the internet like that within the space of 12 hours.

He has his own website that he's free to do anything with.

No one should force private companies to publish his content and associate their brands with him!

 

[mudslag]

YouTube, Facebook, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Sticher and LinkedIn all terminated any InfoWars or Alex Jones accounts. Twitter is the only thing he has got left that has a direct substantial following. His website, sure, but you know as well as I do that his website might as well not exist if his YouTube is shut down.

The man is free to scream about gay frogs all he wants still, just not on any site he wants. By using those other sites, he is agreeing to their terms and by not following their rules, they are free to end service with him. He is responsible for what he puts out and if it costs him, that's his problem. He can still host all his videos on his own site.

 

[jarman92]

Ugh cry everyone a river. The man has lied, so what? He cannot control what his fans do. Unless he directly incited violence there is nothing wrong with what he has said. We get lied to by CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and many more MSM channels every single day. Sure they're not as extreme, but they have a strong agenda and so does Alex Jones. It's just a battle of lies, CNN gets away with staging stories all the time and no one bats an eye. I guess you only see what you wanna see.

Oh boy, I see we have a typical Trump-humper on our hands...not really any point in trying to reason with you, then.

For what its worth, you seem to have entirely ignored everything I said in favor of a rant against the "MSM," which shouldn't come as much of a surprise since its the entirely of the Republican playbook.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Ugh cry everyone a river. The man has lied, so what? He cannot control what his fans do. Unless he directly incited violence there is nothing wrong with what he has said. We get lied to by CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and many more MSM channels every single day. Sure they're not as extreme, but they have a strong agenda and so does Alex Jones. It's just a battle of lies, CNN gets away with staging stories all the time and no one bats an eye. I guess you only see what you wanna see.

Personally, I think all these forms of News Media should be held accountable for their lies. I understand people want to keep their free speech rights but there comes a point where words can inadvertently incite violence from the woefully stupid citizens.
Stuff like the Sandy Hook conspiracy or those death ‘jokes’ to the President (Forgot who that was), is just crossing the line big time.

 

[826317]

Oh boy, I see we have a typical Trump-humper on our hands...not really any point in trying to reason with you, then.

For what its worth, you seem to have entirely ignored everything I said in favor of a rant against the "MSM," which shouldn't come as much of a surprise since its the entirely of the Republican playbook.

Oh that's embarrassing for you since I neither support Trump nor am I a republican...