REMEMBER: Apple Censored COVID Origins
It turns out that Apple demanded LBRY block video searches for anything related to Covid, especially anything regarding vaccines or the human (think lab leak) origins of the virus which at the time would have put focus directly on China.
Many of the important stories that have come out over the past year, including testimony to Congress by Robert Redfield, the former head of the CDC that COVID likely came from a lab in Wuhan China, were a shock to many people.
When members of the media and researchers reported unusual issues like Harvard scientists taking massive amounts of money from China, independent journalists were stymied in no small part by companies like Apple.
In an exchange with Elon Musk on Twitter in November 2022, video-sharing website LBRY posted a shocking reply that goes against what most of us believe about Apple and Tim Cook. According to LBRY:
During Covid, Apple demanded our apps filter some search terms from being returned. If we did not filter the terms, our apps would not be allowed in the store. Apple may make good products, but they have been opposed to free speech for some time.
It turns out that Apple demanded LBRY block video searches for anything related to COVID-19, especially anything regarding vaccines or the human (think lab leak) origins of the virus which at the time would have put focus directly on China.
Addicted to China
Apple was also facing a backlash over the past few years of COVID-19 because of lock-ins where factory workers were prevented from leaving iPhone and Apple computer factories. The company is severely leveraged in Chinese factories thanks to CEO and Engineer Tim Cook's reliance on companies like Foxconn to produce its highly popular phones, devices, and computers. A war with China would have devastating consequences for Apple, one of the largest corporations in the world. That reliance appears to be shifting slightly. According to a 2022 article by Reuters:
A Reuters analysis of Apple's supply chain data shows China's prominence in the company's global manufacturing is declining: In the five years to 2019, China was the primary location of 44% to 47% of its suppliers' production sites, but that fell to 41% in 2020, and 36% in 2021.
LBRY.tv (known as Odysee now) was one of the few seemingly safe havens for independent video producers to post and share content. It was also the platform chosen by Broken Truth early into our advocacy when YouTube, Google, Facebook, and Twitter began a scorched Earth campaign of censorship and suppression which many consider to be an act of treason against the people of the United States.
Another Hidden Travesty
The news of Apple's censorship has gone largely unreported outside of Twitter. Apple has a history of some censorship on the grounds of obscenity or extremism, however, this was the first we had heard of suppression of information that might have been in support of a country linked to a biological, psychological, and lawfare attack on the United States.
Perhaps Apple's efforts were to prevent a war between the Western nations most affected by COVID-19 and the Communist Party of China. The secretive company is notorious for refusing to comment on scandals.
Apple was also slammed for disabling airdrop functions in an update in 2022 that directly inhibited protestors in China from collaborating. In December 2022, Cook ignored questions about the move.
A Free Speech Platform at Risk
LBRY had recently lost a case against the SEC in a devastating case that threatened to destroy the fledgling blockchain-based video service. Last month, the SEC reduced its penalty from $22,000,000 to $111,000 in an acknowledgment that the company was incapable of paying such a massive fine.
In March Time Cook spoke during his first trip to China since the pandemic began. "Innovation is developing rapidly in China and I believe it will further accelerate," Cook allegedly stated.
We only know of Apple's efforts to censor information because LBRY spoke out. Where else did Apple employ this censorship? Will anyone else come forward?
Lbry was unavailable for comment.
Jon Stewart
One last thing. Jon Stewart ran into his own issues with Apple. Stewart’s show was canceled abruptly after Apple tried to direct the topics Stewart’s show would pursue. As The Guardian wrote:
Apple abruptly canceled the eight-episode third season of The Problem with Jon Stewart last October, after tension between Stewart and Apple over which topics would be featured on the show, particularly with regard to China. Stewart balked at being “hamstrung” by Apple, which threatened to cancel the series if they weren’t “aligned” on topics, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Stewart then reportedly walked away from the show rather than cede creative control. Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
As more tech companies enter into the programming space, creatives can expect more meddling in editorial decisions that are designed to avoid headaches than promote artistic and journalistic merit. Perhaps this is based on the fundamental core ideology of programming computers vs programming television for humans.
Tech bros (and girls) have a long way to go.